


...And Then I Found You

by OrangeSmurfette



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Biting, Bloodplay, F/F, F/M, Feeding, Magic, Magic-Users, Mating, Romance, Shameless Smut, Smut, Supernatural romance, That being said the Plot of this story has NOTHING to do with the Twilight Saga at all, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Vampires, Violence, Werewolves, You will notice Twilight references in this story because it used to be a twilight Fanfic, transformations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 05:20:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 142,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4612713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeSmurfette/pseuds/OrangeSmurfette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Story:<br/>In a world where supernatural creatures live undetected right alongside humans Lexa is a vampire and Clarke isn't as human as she appears. They form a true and lasting bond that will awaken something inside Clarke forcing her to reevaluate her very existence. </p><p>Contains: graphic description of violence and sexual material any additional trigger warnings will be posted in corresponding chapter notes. </p><p>Give it a shot, you might like what you find.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:
> 
> This is a rewrite of my original incomplete story called "The Search" for a different fandom. I took it down a few months ago because I lost interest in the that particular fandom and I wanted to rewrite it for a pairing that I am currently more into.
> 
> That being said, since I already have about 150k words written, which totals 14 decently long chapters (and I wasn't even half way done with telling the story I wanted to tell) anyone reading this will have about 2 to 3 updates a week (as I work my way through the changes) and then once I've reached chapter 14 the people that already read The Search will have new plot material and everyone can expect one update per week, unless I am able to work ahead and stay ahead. I feel like this story could go anywhere between 30 to 40 chapters. Maybe even a sequel once I'm done.
> 
> This will be the longest author's note, I promise, I'm just clearing up what is happening and making sure anyone curious about originality knows that this is my old story that I am changing. I have not changed my username it's the same as when I was posting The Search.
> 
> Enjoy and let me know what you think, this is just the prologue, I should have Chapter 1 at the very least up by the end of the night, I'm working through it now.

 

** Prologue **

Dante Wallace exited the war room of his Palace on a stormy winter night, thoroughly agitated. He had just finished a meeting with his General who informed him that the small group of soldiers that were sent to scout out the neighboring kingdoms battle plans were discovered and killed.

As far as Dante was concerned this was an act of war.

As he maneuvered the many halls of the palace on his way to the nursery he could hear the faint sound of screaming, causing him to quicken his pace fearing the worst.

It had been three nights since his wife died while giving birth to their twin children, Cage and Helena. Dante promised Victoria on her death bed that he would sooner die than allow any harm to ever come to their children, at the time he felt so powerless to save the woman he shared the better part of the last 20 years with, but there was nothing the palace’s alchemist could do. He had left Dante to say goodbye to his wife, with his head hanging low in defeat and remorse.

Dante shook his head to dislodge the memory of watching the light leave Victoria’s eyes and doubled his efforts to reach the nursery where the screaming was getting even louder. As he turned the last corner of the dimly lit hall he flung himself into the room nearly separating the heavy oak door from its hinges. He was not prepared for the sight before him.

Standing in the middle of the nursery were two individuals, a male and a female who both looked to be in their early 30’s. Both were naked and both bore a striking resemblance to his deceased wife.

“Who… are you…?” Dante stammered out in his shocked state.

The two individuals exchanged glances before returning their eyes him.

“We are your children,” the female replied in a calm and confident tone.

“Sister perhaps it would be best if we explain to our father how we came to be in this form, he seems to be in shock.” The male said in slight amusement.

The female looked away from her chuckling brother to address their father, who seemed on the verge of falling over. “Is it possible for us to get some clothing so we can have this conversation in a more… comfortable state?”

It took a few seconds for Dante to realize that the female had addressed him and he quickly shuffled out of the room calling for one of the servants.

The two siblings could hear him addressing the small girl that ran down the hall, he hurriedly commanded her to retrieve two robes and as an afterthought he forbade her to mention anything she’d seen or heard.

A few minutes passed before she returned with the requested items and she proceeded to make her way back down the hall.

“He’s trying to gather himself before coming back in here to address us.” The male said to his sister in a hushed tone.

After Dante had calmed his racing heart he reentered the room closing the door behind him and handed the garments over to the two nude siblings. They thanked him and proceeded to dress in the dark red velvety robes.

“Shall we sit by the fire, I believe you’ll want to be seated for what we are about to share with you.” The female said.

Dante hesitantly crossed the room taking a seat in one of the four chairs placed in front of the fireplace in the small nursery. The two siblings sat side by side in the two farthest chairs from him.

After a few seconds of tense silence the female spoke.

“I know you do not believe that we are your children, but I assure you that we are. Before I explained what has taken place here tonight I must ask you father, what do you know of the supernatural world?”

Dante cocked his head to the side and looked at her queerly.

“Only the old stories I was told as a child, but they are all myths, none of those stories have never been proven to be true.”

The male and the female shared a quick glance and Dante could have sworn that he saw the corners of their mouths twitching as if they were having a silent conversation, well low conversation.

The male then glanced over at him, studying him for a few seconds.

“Father, have you not noticed that the two babies you left in the cribs this afternoon are not present in the room right now?”

Dante’s eyes flashed in realization. He had been so caught up in the appearance of two nude people, appearing unnoticed by his hundreds of guards patrolling the grounds of the palace, to even realize the lack of the two small beings in the room.

“…uh…” was all he could say in his bewildered state.

The male chuckled and the female simply smiled.

“We **_are_** your children, I am Helena Wallace and he,” pointing to the male “is Cage Wallace, we are the son and daughter of Dante and Victoria Wallace.” She then stood up and began to roll up her right sleeve. Noticing what his sister was doing Cage also stood and rolled up his right sleeve. Dante sat in shock as he gazed upon the small reddish brown star shaped birthmarks on the inside of both of their upper forearms.

“Helena? ….Cage? ...but, how?” he stammered out, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. How could this have happened to his children he wondered.

“I suppose the best thing to do would be to start from the beginning…” Helena stated sitting back in the chair she had just risen from. Cage elected to stay standing and he gracefully glided over to the window in the corner of the room while keeping his eyes on his father and sister.

Helena continued, “The Gods have set their gaze upon our family, from what Cage and I have been told they have in a sense, chosen our family to be the first of our kind…” She paused trying to figure out the best way to tell her father that everything he thought to be true about the world was about to shift drastically. “Father, we are immortals.” She blurted out figuring the best route to use would be that of a more direct nature.

Dante looked as if he was contemplating whether or not this was all a dream. After a few minutes of silence he finally spoke, asking the question that Helena knew would come next.

“What do you mean by immortal?”

“Meaning, we will live forever. The Gods have also granted us with certain …gifts,” she said.

The way she finished that sentence stood out to Dante, while it caused Cage to scoff in the corner with a look of disdain on his face.

“Cage, what is it son?”

“I don’t know if I would call this a gift exactly,” he said, grief, worry, and pain flashed in his bright red eyes briefly and it did not go unnoticed by his sister.

“Cage was not as fortunate as I was. The Gods have blessed him with the gift of immortality, speed, strength, and increased senses. They have also cursed him to walk the Earth harboring a terrible beast inside his mind… The beast craves the blood of mortals and acts purely on basic instincts, like a ravenous animal…” she finished lowering her head slightly clearly feeling sympathy for her twin.

Cage silently crossed the room and placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder, effectively calming her. “Sister, there is no need to be upset, what is done is done. My beast speaks to me even now, but my will is strong I can fight it. I will eventually learn to control it with you by my side to help me,”he said as he flashed her a small smile. 

Dante watched his children’s interaction silently wondering how they knew all of this when they were only born three nights prior. Along with the fact that their sibling bond seemed stronger than any he had witnessed in his 57 years.

“Although I was not cursed with the burden of carrying the beast inside me, I have been granted all of the same abilities that Cage has been given along with a few that he does not have. You were also touched, you are now immortal, but you do not have any of our increased capabilities. You were granted this immortality on the night of our conception.”

 “How is it that you two know all of this, when you were only born three days ago?” Dante asked, anxious about the answer.

This time Cage spoke up.

“Helena and I have been conscious and have been able to communicate with the Gods and each other telepathically since conception. However, the link was severed on the night of our birth and our mothers’ death...”

“So, for the past 9 months you two were completely aware?”

They both nodded.

“Were you able to observe the outside world?” Dante asked, the shock clearly wearing off as he moved towards acceptance.

“While we could not see outside, we were able to hear both you and mother over the last 9 months… I wish she was here…” Helena became somber again clearly grief stricken and guilty about their mother’s death after giving birth her and Cage.

“Helena, please do not blame yourself or feel guilty for what happened to your mother. Victoria loved you both more than her own life, and if someone had told her she would have to give up her life to bring you both into this world she would not have thought twice about it.”

“I suppose…” Helena said clearly not believing his words but accepting them nonetheless.

Dante, Helena and Cage spent the rest of the night holed up in the nursery while the twins answered all of their father’s questions. They explained to him that the Gods had given him immortality so that he could live out eternity with his children and help to guide and mentor them. They had not awarded him any abilities because it was not needed. Both children had been wired, for lack of a better word, to be very protective of their father. It was purely instinct, both knew without having to voice it, that if their father were to ever be exposed to any kind of threat they would do anything they could to protect him.

It took a few months after that night for Dante to completely come to grips with everything that had changed in his world. He knew he needed to be strong for the twins and help them to navigate this new world that they have been unfairly thrown into.

Over the months the twins educated their Father on everything that he needed to know about the supernatural world. They told him that they were not the only supernatural creatures out there, but that they were the first of their kind.

Dante learned that there are men and women that have the ability to take the form of animals at will. He learned that the old stories of fairies and witches were in fact a reality. Along with a whole list of other supernatural creatures that left his head swimming with the pure outrageousness of the whole situation.

Helena and Dante worked hard to help Cage control the beast inside his mind and control its thirst for mortal blood. They learned three weeks after the twins came into the world that although Cage was exercising great control, he still needed to feed.

On the night of his awakening Cage’s eyes were a bright vibrant red but three weeks later they were almost pitch black. His skin was already extremely pale for any normal human, but after three weeks of not satisfying his beast by giving into the hunger, it had paled even further giving off an ashen almost translucent appearance.

He also became weaker and withdrawn, constantly shaking and murmuring to himself.

He was starving.

After three weeks of this Dante and Helena both knew that something had to be done.

Fearing for the wellbeing of his son Dante suggested that one night Cage should venture out of the palace and into the countryside to find some peasants to feed off of. Cage adamantly refused, not wanting to end the life of an innocent human being. Helena was extremely proud of her brother, she was marginally concerned that he would agree to this idea and over time completely lose himself to the guilt of killing innocent people.

That night however, an idea occurred to Helena.

The prisons.

She approached her Father with the idea of allowing Cage to feed off of the murderers and rapists locked up in the kingdoms prison. Her brother needed to feed to survive and if all he could feed off of were humans then why not allow him to feed off of those who were sentenced to death anyway?

Dante agreed with Helena, praising her for thinking of such a convenient solution to their problem.

After discussing it with Cage he agreed to the arrangement and the following night Helena accompanied him down to the prisons, they both wore heavy robes to cover themselves thereby ensuring they would not be recognized.

Over the past three months Dante had spun an intricate story about the twins dying that faithful night when their screams echoed off the palace walls. He swore the palace alchemist to secrecy after realizing they would need his assistance in the cover story for the death of the babies. The alchemist informed everyone that the babies had died of pneumonia during the night.

Dante introduced Cage and Helena to court as Ava and Joseph Wallace, his niece and nephew from another kingdom across the sea.

Because they were now easily recognized, after being introduced to nearly the whole kingdom, the covert nature of their nightly outings were of the greatest importance.

Helena found it easy to get them into the prison, using her abilities she was able to dazzle the prison guard into letting them in. Once inside she distracted the guard while Cage silently slipped away to the wing of the prison where the murderers were being held.

After 30 minutes he had gorged himself on three prisoners who were being held in the same cell.

Cage was able to feed enough to last him at least another 3 weeks. After ensuring that he didn’t leave too much of a mess he quickly staged the death scene that they came up with. He pulled a dagger out of his robes and mutilated the necks of the two bodies that he drank from.

For the third victim Cage had purposely fed from his wrist so that he could then stage the whole scene as a murder/suicide after repeatedly slashing both of the man’s wrists leaving no trace of teeth marks on any of the bodies.

Cage then slipped out of the cell leaving the bodies for the guards to find and went in search of his sister. He found Helena where he left her; she had amazed the guard at the door so aggressively that the poor man looked as if he were in heaven. The vacant look of peace on his face indicated that he was there, but not completely aware of his surroundings.

After noticing her brothers return Helena returned her attention to the guard and released him from his mental hold while they slipped out of the entrance to the prison before the guard regained his wits.

Dante, Cage and Helena continued living like this for 5 years before rumors started to spread about the palace being cursed and a creature was living in its walls. From there it didn't take long for the Kingdom's inhabitants to come to the conclusion that something had to be done.

One night villagers converged on the palace with their torches lit, destroying everything in their path and burning everything they came across.

Helena and Cage had explained to Dante that there were only a few ways to kill an immortal; through decapitating them then burning the remains was one.

So when the townspeople started burning the palace down in an attempt to destroy the monster inside its walls Dante knew that they had to flee.

That night, Dante, his two children and their trusted alchemist Thelonious fled the Kingdom in search of a new beginning.

**A/N:**

**Okay, so I hope I have your attention. The events in this chapter took place thousands of years ago, back before indoor plumbing if ya feel me. We will be picking up in the next chapter in 2015 and the rest of the characters will start to make their appearances. I hope you guys stick with me while I attempt to twist this story to fit The 100 fandom. For people that have already read the other version of this, my apologies for discontinuing and taking that story down. I just wasn't feeling the fandom anymore but fear not this will not be a complete repeat of the same story, there will be minor changes in the plot and you will get to read the rest of the adventure you missed out on after Chapter 14.**

**I will have Chapter 1 up before I go to bed tonight. Let me know what you think so far. Thanks for reading.**

**Later Dayz, OrangeSmurfette.**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_ **

"CLARKE! Are you awake?" My mother hollered from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah Mom!" I answered back just loud enough for her to hear me, but she probably couldn't make out what I said.

I could hear her making her way up the stairs now and down the small hallway towards my room. She then opened the door and poked her head in.

"Okay honey I'm leaving for work, don't be late for your first day. I left you breakfast in the kitchen. Your father won't be home until late tonight and I'm leaving for LA this afternoon, you do remember don't you?" she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yes Mom I remember. You're going to your friend's bachelorette thing, got it. Try not to have too much fun, if you know what I mean." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, grinning while I stretched and stood up from the bed placing my bare feet on the hardwood floor of my bedroom.

"I'm going to act like my teenage daughter didn't just say that to me." She replied with a slight smirk.

I walked over to where she was standing in the doorway of my bedroom, gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and made my way past her and into the bathroom to shower.

"Love you Mom, I'll take care of Dad till you get back, have fun." That was the last thing I said before closing the bathroom door and taking care of my morning hygienic needs.

20 minutes later, I was out of the shower and back in my room to pick out clothes for school today.

I decided on dark wash skinny jeans, a blue and white button up flannel type shirt, and some sneakers.

**_Not like I'm trying to impress anyone, everyone in that small ass school has known me since we were in kindergarten._ **

After getting dressed I looked over at the time and saw that it was 8:00am meaning I had 30 minutes before I was late for school.

I raced down the stairs nearly eating shit on the last two, but thankfully I was able to catch myself before I went teeth first into the front door directly at the bottom of the stairs.

I quickly raced into the kitchen to see what was left for me to eat and saw that Mom made oatmeal and bacon, my favorite.

I ate my food, then put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher before racing back upstairs to brush my teeth and grab my backpack and keys.

By the time I was locking the front door it was 8:20am. I had exactly 10 minutes to get to school which was perfect because it was only a 5 minute drive from my house. The beauty of living in a small town is that it takes 5 minutes to get almost anywhere.

I walked down the driveway to where my baby was sitting. She's an orange 1967 Ford Mustang with two large black racing stripes running down the middle of the entire length of the top of the car. The interior had black leather seats with orange trimming and the door panels also hand orange accents.

Finn and I saved her from the junkyard two summers ago. We just finished restoring it to ' _like new'_  status at the beginning of this past summer break, it was after that things started to change between Finn and I.

He wasn't around as much and he started hanging with some less than desirable characters. We started fighting a lot too, well more so Finn getting pissed at something stupid and me being pissed because he was over reacting.

Whatever...

I had had enough and called it quits. I told him we were better off as friends anyway.

It's not that I don't care for him, because I do. It's just that I don't  _love_ him he's always been more of a brother to me.

I got into the car and pulled out of the driveway heading in the direction of the High School for another thrilling year of higher learning, and the same high school drama and gossiping that I've learned to tune out over the last 3 years.

5 minutes later I was pulling into a mostly full parking lot. There were still a couple different groups of kids loitering by their cars, waiting for the first bell to ring. Pretty much all the cars were in the same spots they were last year, except for 2 extremely expensive looking cars parked in the corner on the opposite side of the parking lot.

I'd never seen those cars before and was immediately curious as to who they could belong to. Living in such a small town news travels extremely quickly. So, needless to say I was surprised that I hadn't heard anything about newcomers to this backwoods town. Especially if they were people that could afford cars like those.

Since I'd already picked up my schedule a few days ago I didn't need to go to the front office. I grabbed my backpack from the trunk, locked my car and headed into the building for my first class of the day, AP English.

On my way to class I saw a few of my 'friends'. I use the term loosely because out of Sterling, Fox, Maya, Atom, Harper, and Monroe; the only ones I have ever really been close to where Maya and Monroe.

I entered my first period class and made a beeline straight for the two vacant seats in the back right corner of the room by one of the windows. I took the seat by the window, leaving the seat next to the aisle open. I reached down and pulled out my notebook and a pen from my bag.

As the classroom began to fill up Mr. Wagner came in. Once the last bell rang, he started to check names off on the attendance sheet.

I was staring out the window next to me when the door to the classroom opened and someone walked in. I didn't bother looking over and instead continued to watch the dark heavy clouds outside the window. It wasn't raining, but I'm sure that would change sooner or later. After living here my whole life, it had become sort of comforting because it rains so often in Washington.

After a few more seconds I halted my musings, preparing to face forward and pay attention to the class.

"That's quite fine. Alright Miss Woods, why don't you go take a seat next to Miss Griffin," he gestured for me to raise my hand and I did so. The girl briefly glanced over to me then returned her attention to Mr. Wagner. "I'm sure she will have no problem with answering any questions you may have about the school since you are new here."

When she turned around to walk to her seat I thought I was going to blackout.

I had never seen anyone so beautiful. She had chocolate brown hair styled into a few intricate braids that held her hair away from her face leaving the rest of it flowing down her back and around her shoulders in loose curls. What a face it was, her features and skin were absolutely flawless and I couldn't detect a single pore.

She had the most captivating honey gold eyes I'd ever seen, they looked like the perfect place to completely lose yourself for hours. Then there's her body. I was never particularly attracted to other females, but she was making me feel things I'd never felt before and unfortunately these things were most definitely things I didn't need to be focusing on in such a public place…

I didn't even know I'd stopped breathing and that something was wrong until my head started to spin and my vision started to tunnel.

I shook my head quickly in an attempt to get my wits about me. Thankfully it worked before I ended up passing out on the classroom floor, making a wonderful first impression on the goddess who was now standing directly next to the seat beside me.

She was staring at me with an amused expression on her face.

**_Why's she smiling? Did I already make an ass out of myself without even opening my mouth? Why's she just standing there staring at me? Is there something on my face?_ **

I obviously started to panic.

**_What the hell? I don't even know this chick, why am I getting myself all worked up over nothing? Pull yourself together Griffin and say something before she thinks you're a lunatic!_ **

"Hi, I'm Clarke." I said. It came out a little shaky but I tried to force as much confidence as I could into it to make up for my gawking and space out episode from before.

She smiled at me and I swooned. That smile of hers was beyond gorgeous. She extended her hand to me to shake.

"Hello Clarke, I'm Lexa."

Her velvety smooth voice sounded like heroine to my ears. I was instantly addicted and I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my days listening to her speak. It wouldn't matter what about, just as long as I could hear voice. Hell, she could read the label on laundry detergent to me and I would probably still swoon and become instantly wet. Speaking of wet, if I spend any more time around this girl today I'm going to have to throw these panties out when I get home.

Realizing that she was still waiting for me to take her hand I quickly recovered from the daze her voice put me in and stuck my hand out to shake hers.

When our skin made contact I felt energy flow through my body starting from where our hands were joined and settling in my chest. It wasn't like the stereotypical electric shock that people say they get when they meet someone they could fall in love with. I don't know exactly what it was but somehow, deep down, I knew it was more.

She must have noticed because her smile faded and her features straightened as she slowly pulled her hand away from my grasp.

I immediately frowned, missing the contact.

**_What the hell is going on with me?! I'm not into girls! But, why do I feel like I need to be closer to her?_ **

Lexa took her seat next to me, pulled out her notebook and started taking notes.

I turned my head and tried to focus on what Mr. Wagner was saying but I couldn't help stealing glances at her for the rest of the class.

When the bell rang signaling the end of first period all the students in the room started to get up grabbing their things and shuffling out of the room to their next class.

Lexa and I got up at the same time and as I started to put my notebook back into my backpack I felt the slight touch of a cool hand on my shoulder. I turned around and came face to face with Lexa who was smiling gently at me.

"What class do you have next Clarke?" she asked while gazing intensely into my eyes.

I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my schedule. When I had it unfolded Lexa moved beside me to lean her head closer to mine as she read the schedule.

While she was scanning over the piece of paper in my hand I realized that she was _extremely_ close to me, I mean close enough for me to be drowning in her scent, and what a scent it was… Lexa smelt like fresh flowers, honey, and the slightly musky yummy smell of girl.

**_Holy Shit… She smells so fucking good. I really hope I don't start drooling._ **

My breathing started to come out in a labored fashion, completely irregular, and entirely desperate.

A small moan sounded in the back of my throat. I tried to swallow it back but failed miserably. My eyes widened in shock that I'd gotten that turned on just being close to her.

Upon hearing the moan Lexa lifted her head and looked right into my eyes, her face mere inches away from mine. I watched as her eyes darkened slightly and her nostrils flared as she leaned in even closer.

**_Wait a minute! Just what in the hell is going on here?! I just met this girl… Why am I reacting to her like this?_ **

Before I could contemplate any further on the subject I heard a throat being cleared by the front of the room.

I immediate leapt away from Lexa and promptly knocked over the chair behind me. I would have tumbled down onto the chair and probably would have broken my neck with my luck, but Lexa's arm snapped out and wrapped around me thereby steadying me on my feet.

"Oh my god Clarke! Are you okay?" she exclaimed with concern written all over her face.

I nodded indicating I was fine, while a slow blush started to crawl up my neck.

Once she was certain I was okay to stand on my own her head whirled around to the person who had startled me.

Leaning against the doorway to the now completely empty classroom, with the exception of Lexa and I, was a Calvin Klein underwear model.

He had a wavy black hair and what looked like a well built lean body and his skin was just as flawless as Lexa's.

**_What the hell... Did it rain beautiful people last night and no one told me?_ **

Upon closer inspection I noticed that not only was he just as flawlessly beautiful as Lexa but they also shared the same eye color, that beautiful honey gold. Even though their eyes looked the same, for some reason his did not compare in beauty to hers.

"Clarke, I would like to introduce you to my brother, Bellamy." Lexa said gesturing to the boy standing in the doorway "Bellamy, this is Clarke Griffin."

Bellamy tipped his head to me, still leaning against the door frame with an amused smile on his face as he returned his gaze to his sister.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here," he then paused, and Lexa gestured for him to continue. "Marcus has asked me to inform you to head straight home after school today. There's something very important that he would like to discuss with you."

Lexa and Bellamy stared at each other in silence for about 10 seconds, they almost looked like they were having a conversation with their eyes, must be a sibling thing. Being an only child I wouldn't really know if that was at all possible.

They both then turned to look at me at the same time and for some reason I took a step back. Bellamy smiled at this and excused himself.

After he was gone Lexa and I said our goodbyes, not bringing up the incident that occurred before Bellamy's appearance. Before she left she informed me that we also have last period gym together.

Once Lexa was out of sight I turned around and headed in the opposite direction immediately feeling a tightening in my chest.

**_What the hell is that?_ **

I placed my hand over my chest in an attempt to sooth the tightening. After a few deep breaths I felt slightly better but the tightness never completely went away.

I walked down the science hall and entered my second period class, biology. I hate biology…

When I entered I was surprised that the class was pretty much completely full and there was only one seat left. When I looked up to the other occupant of the lab desk I was greeted with the sight of Bellamy for the second time in less than 10 minutes.

He smiled at me and gestured to the seat next to him. I crossed the classroom and dropped my bag on the floor next to the desk and took a seat on the vacant stool beside him.

He glanced over at me and I noticed that he looked almost confused for a while. He then turned his head to look out the window in what appeared to be deep concentration.

The teacher entered the classroom and started discussing upcoming projects for the year, the attendance policy, and other mundane stuff to do with class. I kind of tuned him out when he started talking about all the different types of scientific instruments we would be working with this year. I drew the line there... That man was way too excited about microscopes for any of his mannerisms to come off as normal human behavior.

Bellamy slipped me a piece of paper under the table. I reached over and took it from him after checking to make sure the teacher wasn't paying attention to me. I quietly opened it in my lap and read what was written down on the torn out notebook paper.

_You seem bored,_

_Why don't we play 20 questions?_

_Since it's obvious we aren't going to_

_Learn anything of value here today._

After reading through the note I smiled and discreetly grabbed my pen from the desk bringing it down into my lap so I could reply to his question.

_You're right_

_What would you like_

_To know about me?_

I handed the note back to him and he quickly started scribbling on it. When he was done he handed the paper back to me and looked towards the front of the class, feigning interest.

_Have you lived here all your life?_

_Do you have siblings?_

I briefly wondered why he was so interested in getting to know me, but brushed it off because a part of me was hoping that if I could get closer to him I would get closer to his beautiful sister. My head immediately snapped up and to the side when I heard Bellamy chuckling.

**_Did I say that out loud? I'm sure I didn't, but why is he laughing?_ **

I brushed it off as coincidence, maybe he just remembered something funny. With my attention returned to the piece of paper I started writing my response.

_I've lived here all my life._

_My dad's the chief of Police and_

_My mom is a surgeon at the local hospital._

_I'm also an only child._

_What about you?_

_Other than Lexa do you have any other siblings?_

I passed the note back to Bellamy and waited for him to read it through and respond. After about 5 minutes he handed the piece of paper back to me.

_Our adoptive parents,_

_Marcus and Callie,_

_Adopted myself, Lexa, and our three other siblings_

_Octavia,_

_Raven,_

_And Lincoln._

_When we were all fairly young,_

_We couldn't ask for better parents._

I read through his response after he handed it to me. I was a little surprised that a couple would adopt so many kids, they must be amazing people. I found myself getting a little jealous because I always wanted siblings, but it just wasn't in the cards for me or my parents I guess.

_That sounds awesome_

_They must be very nice people._

Bellamy and I didn't exchange any more notes for the rest of the class, he returned to gazing out the window and I turned around and tried to pay attention to what the teacher was going on about at the front of the class.

The bell indicating the end of second period finally rang and I got off of the stool I was sitting on and proceeded to pack up my stuff. When I was getting ready to leave the class I noticed Bellamy staring at me again, almost like he was trying really hard to figure something out.

I shrugged it off and quickly said bye to him before exiting the room and heading to my third period class, World History…

When I entered the class and scanned the room I was greeted to the sight of another gorgeous newcomer.

**_Are you freakin' kidding me?! Are any of them unattractive? And what's up with them all having the same honey gold colored eyes? I thought they were all adopted…_ **

I had been standing in the doorway of the class room staring at him when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned around to find Sterling looking at me with a shit eating grin on his face.

**_Oh great, not this idiot… I hope he doesn't ask me out again._ **

"Hey Princess! How was your summer?"

I cringed at the pet name that only my father uses these days.

"It was alright Sterling, how about yours?" he seemed happy that I was actually engaging in conversation with him, since I normally just avoid him.

"It was actually really good, my family and I spent most of it in Florida visiting relatives."

"That's cool." I replied awkwardly, I really didn't know what else to say and his very public crush on me made me weary of conversing with him for fear of being asking me out and me having to reject his offer in front of people. It's happened three times and none of those experiences ended pretty for him.

I then hurriedly shuffled into the class taking an empty desk in the middle of the room. After I was settled I turned my head slightly to get another look at the newcomer sitting in the back of the room. When I looked at his face he was looking directly at me, and I blushed furiously.

I didn't want him to think I was some kind of creeper so I turned around to the front of the class quickly and thankfully Ms. Ball was getting ready to start the class.

"Okay class, we have a new addition… Well actually five new additions to our school this year, but one in this class. Mr. Woods please raise your hand." I didn't look back but I'm sure he did as he was instructed.

"Class this is Lincoln, please make him feel welcomed and help him with anything he needs to better adjust to a new school."

After that the class flew by, Ms. Ball went over the syllabus for the class this semester and then assigned some reading for homework.

Throughout the class I felt the odd sensation that I was being watched and a couple of times when I turned around to check I caught Lincoln staring at me with a pained expression on his face. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, but decided it was really none of my business.

The bell rang and it was finally time for lunch.

I followed the herd of student heading in the direction of the cafeteria and when I got into line I saw that Sterling, Harper, Fox, Atom, Maya, and Monroe were already sitting at our usual table.

I paid for my grilled cheese sandwich, apple, and juice and made my way over to the table.

On my way to the table I scanned the room looking for any signs of Lexa and her siblings wanting to see if the other two mystery siblings, Octavia and Raven were as gorgeous as my apparent new crush, Bellamy and Lincoln. But there was no sign of them. I shrugged and took a seat beside Maya who beamed at me.

"So Clarke, how was your summer? I missed you so much!" Maya was by far the only real friend I had here. Harper and Fox couldn't be relied on for anything other than gossip, Sterling was like a love sick puppy on the verge of humping my leg, Atom was clueless most of the time, and Monroe and I really didn't have a lot in common but we did get along when we hung out.

"My summer was alright Maya, but Finn and I did break up last month and I think it's for good this time."

At hearing this Sterling immediately perked up and I could almost see the lights clicking on in his eyes.

**_Great, now he thinks he has a shot, I should have probably shared that with Maya in private..._ **

I was getting ready to say something else when the cafeteria fell into silence. I looked up and scanned the room trying to figure out why everyone stopped talking and when I looked over my shoulder my eyes rested on the five models entering the room, gliding across the cafeteria floor with more grace than any normal teenager should ever possess.

Leading the group was Lexa, and now that I have more freedom to stare without the risk of reproach I noticed that she was about 5'5 and she moved with an almost lethal grace barely scanning her surroundings.

Next to her was a caramel skinned girl with long brown wavy hair much like Lexa's but not as full and glorious. She was about the same height as Lexa and had a lean athletic build. When I looked closer I also notice that she also had honey gold colored yes. She has a passive expression on her face as she scanned the cafeteria almost like she was mapping the exits.

**_I wonder if she's Octavia or Raven._ **

Behind them I could see Bellamy.

Pulling up the rear was Lincoln and another female who was holding his large hand securely while running her other hand up and down his forearm in a soothing manner. The two moved in sync and complemented each other nicely. Lincoln was built kind of large for a 17 year old standing at about 6 foot 3 inches. He was a little bulkier than Bellamy, but still lean, he reminded me of one of the guys on the wrestling team. His milk chocolate skin almost glowed as the V-neck he was wearing stretched across his muscled torso.

The girl beside him equally as beautiful as her siblings. She had long flowing black hair a lightly tanned complexion, with what looked like the body of a gymnast. As the group moved across the café she gave several gawking girls the stink-eye as the shamelessly checked out Lincoln and pulled him that much closer to her.

My attention then turned back to Lexa as the front of their group as she was lightly chuckled at something Bellamy was saying to her. I couldn't look away; I followed her with my eyes all the way to the empty table in the corner of the room that they choose to occupy.

While I continued to openly gawk at Lexa, I could faintly hear Fox's annoying voice in the background saying something about the new additions to our school.

"…yeah, and I heard that two of them are dating each other. Isn't that gross? I mean isn't it incest or something?" she asked loudly expecting everyone at the table to jump up and agree with her.

Maya was the first to speak.

"Fox, besides that it's not any of our business, I really don't think it's considered incest since they are all adopted." Maya was always the smart one.

Fox snorted, and continued to talk about the siblings anyway.

"From what I know, the angry protective looking one, Octavia, is dating the big uncomfortable looking guy, Lincoln, isn't that nasty? And apparently the really hot one Bellamy is single and so are the other two girls Raven and Lexa."

I looked around the table and no one seemed particularly interested in what she was saying; Sterling looked to be in deep thought about something, Monroe was reading a comic book, Maya had returned to her calculus textbook, and Harper was just sitting there staring at Sterling longingly.

Those two really need to hurry up and get together so that he can leave me alone. I mean it's so obvious that they belong together. Everyone knows it, except for Sterling of course…

Fox looked at me queerly as she caught me stealing glances at Lexa who was taking another chair from a close by table to kick her feet up on.

"You know… Ashley Turner had that Lexa girl in her second period and third period class and she said that she was setting off her gaydar. You know that Ashley is never wrong about that stuff. I definitely wouldn't be surprised if she was though since deviance seems to run in that family." She then sniffed with disdain and stabbed at her pasta salad.

Just then a loud laugh could be heard across the cafeteria and when I looked up I saw that it was coming from Raven. As I stared at their table Lexa and I made eye contact and she winked at me which obviously caused me to blush about 15 different shades of red.

**_What is up with me and this girl? Ugh…_ **

The bell finally rang for the end of the lunch period. I threw out my trash and headed straight for my Art class.

The class went by quickly without any blunders on my part. Fortunately none of the siblings were in my class to distract me or in my fourth period class home economics either, which was a good thing.

When last period rolled around I was contemplating skipping and going home, since my Dad wouldn't be home till late and I would be able to intercept the call from school informing my parents that I was absent from gym.

I just wasn't in the mood to fall on my face or my ass today while attempting to play some asinine game with a ball.

As I got closer to the gym I finally decided against skipping, it was the first day of school after all and I really didn't want my absence to go noticed by everyone.

I walked into the locker room with my backpack that had my gym clothes already in it and went to the back of the room to pick a secluded locker. When I passed the last row of lockers and turned the corner I stopped dead in my tracks as I was greeted with the sight of Lexa Woods standing before an open locker in only her black lacy panties and matching bra, she was in the process of pulling a t-shirt down over her head.

I was rooted to the ground. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. Even though I knew it was rude to be gawking at her half naked body I couldn't find it in myself to turn away either. The tightly corded muscles in her back moved with purpose as she maneuvered the t-shirt down her torso and I couldn't help but think about running my hands all over the muscular plain as she did unspeakable things to me.

When she finally pulled her t-shirt down, she noticed I was there and an amuse smirk settled on her face.

"Hello Clarke." she husked out, the sound of her voice made my knees weak and my panties wet instantly.

**_Whoa! Cool it right there... Am I really into her like that?_ **

The condition of my underwear seems to have answered my question. I for sure have a crush on Lexa Woods.

A girl! Great like my life isn't full of drama as it is already.

I said 'Hi' back to her in a breathy voice and blushed once again before quickly turning around to the locker beside me to put my stuff away and get dressed for class.

When I was getting ready to take my clothes off and exchange them for the gym uniform she finished getting dressed and was getting ready to leave the locker room.

"I suppose I will see you out there." she said as she gave me a quick once over and I thought I heard a small sigh escape her lips.

"Yeah, I guess so..." I replied, trying not to stutter.

Once Lexa was out of sight I quickly changed and hurried out to the gym before I was marked late. Once I made it through the door I promptly ran into someone. I fell backward, onto my ass… Great, the class hasn't even started yet and I'm already on the floor.

I looked up to see who I had run into, and there stood Sterling...

**_Ugh… Anyone but him, really anyone._ **

I scrambled to my feet and quickly apologized to him not giving him a chance to start up a conversation and took off to the other side of the gym where I saw Maya standing.

The rest of the class was pretty uneventful; I managed to avoid killing anyone with the volleyball and only got hit in the head once. That had to have been a record for me in gym or something.

Couch Clapp blew the whistle telling us class was over and we should hit the showers. I made my way to the locker room. When I turned the corner to my locker I was relieved to not have come across Lexa again in a state of undress. I quickly grabbed my towel and showering implements and walked over to the shower stalls to get cleaned up.

After 10 minutes I exited the shower stall feeling clean and refreshed. I wrapped the towel around me before pulling the modesty curtain back and headed towards my locker.

The room was nearly empty and the few people I did see were just stuffing their dirty stuff into their backpacks and heading out the door.

This time when I turned the corner to go to my locker Lexa was there. She was just finishing up with putting on the boots of her outfit. When she noticed I was there she looked up and stood facing me.

She looked so sexy in her simple blue skinny jeans with a tight white tank top under a fitted leather jacket that matched her combat styled boots. I think I was about to start drooling so I hurried to my locker forcing my eyes away from her. I stuck my head into the locker pulling out the clothes I had on before gym.

I could hear Lexa busying herself behind me by putting her dirty gym clothes into her bag and organizing stuff in her locker.

While I dressed myself quickly, facing away from her of course, I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn't dare turn around to look.

Once I was satisfied that I put on all my clothes correctly I turned around to find Lexa gazing at me with her backpack already over her right shoulder.

"Would you mind if we walk out to the parking lot together? It seems that we are the only ones left, I could use the company" the smile she was wearing was the warmest one I'd seen displayed on her face since we met in English.

**_Hell yeah I want to walk her to her car!_ **

She could probably ask me to rob a bank and I would do it as long as she asked me with that smile of her face.

"Sure that sounds great." I managed to say with a warm smile of my own and only a little bit of a stutter this time.

We walked silently out of the locker room, out of the gym and down the hallway leading out to the parking lot.

When we emerged out of the school, the parking lot was empty except for two cars, mine, and an extremely expensive looking one.

I turned to Lexa and asked her "Is that your car?" I tried to remove as much of the shock in my voice as I could, but some of it was still clearly evident.

She looked from the car to me and smiled, "Yeah, that's my baby. It's an  _Aston Martin Vanquish S,_ I won a bet with Bellamy and he had to buy it for me after he lost."

She said this like it was just normal for teenagers to go out and just buy cars like this without a second thought. I guess they are loaded, the other car that I had seen earlier looked just as expensive.

I took another glance as Lexa's car as she walked me over to mine, and I decided that her car was for sure sex on wheels. It was black, including the rims and the windows were heavily tinted all around.

Lexa brought me out of my sexy car induced coma by asking me what my plans were for later on.

"I don't really have any, I was planning to just do homework and make dinner for my Dad. What about you?" I asked her.

"I heard that there is a really nice beach close by and I was thinking about possibly exploring it." She replied.

"That's cool I know the beach you're talking about. The one on the other side of town is way better than that one though. Wouldn't you rather go there?"

"Uhm… No my brothers ventured out there during the weekend when we were settling in and they did not enjoy it apparently. So, I figured I would check out the other one and see if it is any better. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me, seeing as though I am new around here… You could show me around maybe, that is of course if it isn't too much trouble." she smiled that warm smile of hers again and I found myself agreeing without even thinking about it.

"Great, I'm happy you agreed. I have enjoyed spending time with you today, however short that time has been." She slowly leaned forward looking deeply into my eyes as she placed a lingering kiss on my cheek.

After she pulled away I placed my hand on the cheek she'd just kissed and marveled at how soft her lips felt against my skin, it felt really good…

I started to blush again causing her to chuckle lowly.

"You know, you are incredibly adorable when you blush Clarke, you should not be ashamed of it, it is very endearing."

"I guess…" I muttered out offering her a shy smile.

"Okay lets exchange numbers so that I can call for directions to your house. I have to head home to speak with my Father, but I will come pick you up after I'm done so we can head down to the beach. Is that okay with you?" she asked.

I nodded my head in agreement and she handed me her phone so that I could program my number into it, she then grabbed my phone and programmed her number into it before handing it back to me.

"Okay see you in about an hour Clarke." she then turned and walked over to her car, slipped inside, turned it on, and waved at me before peeling out of the parking lot heading down the road.

I watched her go until she turned a corner and I couldn't see her car anymore. That tightening in my chest that I felt when we parted ways after first period returned again, and I slowly got into my car leaning my head back on the head rest as I tried to calm down my fluttering heart and ease the tightness centered around my upper chest.

I'm really looking forward to seeing her again.

**A/N:**

**There you have it, the first official chapter. Let me know what you think. I should have two more chapters up tomorrow at some point.**

**Later Dayz, OrangeSmurfette.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**(Lexa's POV)**

I was just finishing up a hunt before school when I decided to take a break and enjoy the early morning sunrise or lack thereof… The sky above me was heavily clouded, which I suppose is a good thing since my family and I are vampires.

We don't sparkle in the sunlight nor do we burn but being in direct sunlight for more than an hour instead starts a chain reaction of debilitating symptoms starting with severe sunburn. Eventually escalating to delirium and madness, ending in the true death within a few hours after the onset.

It's something that I have only witnessed once in my immortal life, shortly after my turning, and it's a memory that has haunted me for the last 500 years. A memory that I do not enjoy revisiting.

Very few are ever able to survive sun exposure after they have reached the delirium stage. Once those hallucinations start the victim is rarely ever aware that they are in real present physical danger; the only ones that survive are those who are forcibly 'rescued' or put down, because a vampire who escalates to madness can go into a blood rage in broad daylight thereby exposing our existence to the mortals.

As a result most vampires are careful to avoid over exposure to direct sunlight. For those who neglect to take proper precautions the pheromones they release alerts all vampires within a 10 mile radius and there are enough Triad Enforcers lurking about all over the world to remedy the situation by administering the true death swiftly and taking care of any mortal witnesses.

Triad Vampire Enforcers are expert assassins and have all been trained to master short term memory wipes on humans through the use of their unique pheromones and natural ability to dazzle mortals, an ability that isn't common among vampires.

They are stationed in cities with vampire residents or regular vampire traffic by the Triad, who are in essence the vampire ruling coven. They report vampire activities to the rulers within their assigned district and do the bidding of the rulers. They covertly operate within the cities addressing all matters that could expose us to the humans.

Enforcers are not known to get involved in turf disputes or any other type of vampire politics or infighting unless it escalates to the point of risking exposure. At which point they report the activities to the Triad who then move in to settle the matter themselves with extreme prejudice and violence if and when a resolution isn't met between all parties involved.

After being in  _seclusion_  with a mass coven in Alaska for the last 20 years my family decided to settle in this small town in order to integrate back into human society. It is something that most immortals of different races do on and off after their first 200 years of immortality. It is a practice that assists with keeping our existence from the humans a secret as the ones we interact with die off and new generations are born who would not recognize our lack of aging.

We chose this town because of the lack of vampire presence and the reputation it had for almost year round cloud coverage. No vampire presence meant no enforcers, which also meant that the Triad had no presence here, which was a big selling point for all of us after our last run in with them over 40 years ago.

I sat down on the damp forest floor leaning my back against a large tree and closed my eyes as I try to calm my mind and meditate before heading back to the house my coven recently built.

We refer to ourselves as a family rather than a coven because it helps us to retain more of our humanity. We are all very close so it seemed only rational to go that route, not the mention the fact that our coven leader sired two of my 'siblings'.

Marcus and Callie play the role of our ' _parents'_  and when we move to new towns or cities during  _integration_  we explain to everyone that they adopted me and my other four siblings Lincoln, Octavia, Bellamy, and Raven.

My siblings and I can all pass for ages 16 to 30 so we usually start off in a new location by attending high school as we try to live our lives around the human's as much as possible. Integration cuts down on the chances of an immortal falling into insanity while in seclusion, the only immortals that are able to remain in seclusion indefinitely without going insane are the ancients. It is rumored that the leaders of the Triad are all ancients. It's a rumor that isn't often questioned since very few have actually seen them with their own eyes.

Callie and Marcus are two of those few, they spent time within the Triad inner circle before they left the royal coven to start their own. It is a time in their immortal lives that they very rarely speak about, and to be honest I have never actually felt the need to ask.

As I took deep breaths, scenting the air around me that is heavy with morning moisture. I took in the absolute silence around me. The animals in the area cleared out once they realized I was a predator. Deep in the forest like this is where I do my best meditating, where I can commune with my inner beast whenever I feel the need to.

I feel incredibly alone in the world… I'd been having these random bouts of loneliness for the last few months. While we were still living in seclusion with the mass coven I spent most of my time off of the compound hunting or just thinking and meditating with my inner beast, Heda.

It is only during a deep meditative state that a vampire can communicate fully with their inner beast without the barriers to actual communication. Outside of the meditative state the Beast communicates with its vassal by way of instinct and urges but for the most part the Beast is only concerned with sustaining the survival of its vassal, and by extension insuring its own survival. A vampire's inner Beast will only fully take the reigns in matters of feeding, mating and physical survival while the vampire retains physical and mental control over all other matters.

When I first started to wander off on my own like this I wasn't sure what it was that I was looking for, all those hours I spent out in the woods alone meditating with Heda never really showed me anything to help with the loneliness I was feeling. As the months wore on and I continued to witness the comfort and general peace the mated couples around me found in their other halves I knew that what I was searching for was a mate.

Callie is the oldest in our coven and she is also our leader. She was changed by a nomad who attacked her one night over 900 hundred years ago. The nomad probably thought he had drained her dry or he was interrupted because there was just enough blood left in Callie's system to circulate the vampire's venom and she was able to survive the change.

When Callie woke up she had no one to guide her and no way of knowing what she was. In fear, she stayed in the forest so she wouldn't hurt anyone and after a few days the burning in her throat that she had woken up with was so intense that she attacked a brown bear and her cub draining both or their bodies. New born vampires are usually heavily driven by their Beast and its baser instincts and they are prone to go into feeding frenzies during their first four decades of life. After this period they gain more control over the Beast and themselves.

Callie was always a very intelligent woman and after this incident she put two and two together realizing what she had turned into. She also realized that she didn't need to feed off humans because the animal blood seemed to sate the hunger she was feeling just fine.

She spent her new born year in the woods by herself learning to control her thirst and mastering her new abilities; heightened strength, speed, and senses. For the next three centuries she traveled the world familiarizing herself with the other supernatural creatures she encountered and building a solid control over her thirst for human blood.

She eventually went back to school when she was 300 years into her immortality. Her control over her thirst had improved enough for her to become a Doctor who helped humans without ever being tempted to rip their throats out and drain them.

It was during her internship after finishing med school that Callie discovered that she had an ability. By hovering her hands over a person's body she was able to instinctively know exactly what was wrong with them.

While Callie was practicing medicine in a small town a few years later she came across Marcus. She immediately felt drawn to him and could tell that he was drawn to her as well.

Being a well-traveled and educated woman, both in the human and supernatural world, Callie immediately knew that Marcus could be one of her  _Five Potential Mates_ , and possibly her one  _True Mate_.

When a vampire is created it is said that the ' _powers that be'_  grants that vampire with  _Five Potential Mates,_  but only one of the five potentials will be the vampires _True Mate._

The 'five potentials' are born at random so there would be no telling when they may come across one of them during the course of his or her immortal life. There are forces beyond my understanding that pull the vampire towards these five people. At one point or another, as if it were fated, the vampire would come across most, if not all, of their potential mates until they find the one who is destined to be their  _True Mate,_ the only person who would be able to calm their beast.

Callie eventually turned Marcus into one of us and after the change was completed successfully she knew that he really was her  _True Mate_.

**_It's been almost 500 years since I was turned… I wonder if I'll ever find my True Mate, I haven't even met a potential._ **

I stood up from my spot against the tree and started to run back to our house so that I could get ready for our first day of School. I've lost count of how many times we've gone through high school, being immortal teenage vampires who prefer the company of humans means we matriculate a lot.

I made it back into the house and went straight up to my room. After grabbing my window remote I went over to the bathroom area and pushed the button labeled 'Close' and the ceiling to floor glass windows began to dim. Once the windows dimmed completely to black no one would be able see inside the room from outside the house.

I loved the way Callie designed my bedroom, she knows me very well. She is an amazing interior designer on top of being a talented doctor and loves designing new homes for us when we decide to start over in a new town or city.

My room has an open concept with the bathroom inside the suite, minus a toilet because I didn't need it, with the ceiling to floor glass windows off of the bathroom and part of the bedroom a lot of natural light gets in and I have a great view of the forest surrounding the house.

Our property is fairly large and Callie designed the entire house herself. The juxtaposition of the modern inspired and mostly concrete building against the lush green forest surrounding it always leaves me in awe every time I sit outside and marvel at it. As an extra precaution our home is tucked away pretty deep in the forest away from the rest of the town, something that comes in handy to help keep our existence a secret from the humans.

Other than the bathtub my favorite part of the room was the bed, it was simple and huge. I do not need to sleep but it was nice to have somewhere to relax and meditate, read, or listen to music. When you aren't able to sleep you start to find that things like having a good hobby becomes a necessity.

I drew myself a hot bath, it was only 6:00am meaning I had plenty of time to take a hot bath and relax before I had to get ready for school. When the tub was full I undressed and slid into the piping hot water. The contrast of the hot liquid against my slightly cooler than normal skin was incredibly pleasant and comforting.

When I completely relaxed and closed my eyes I sunk into another meditative state.

**_(Lexa's inner meditation chamber)_ **

**_Heda: Hello Vassal._ **

_My beast lurks in the dark corners of the large chamber in my mind that houses it. I could feel the vibrations of her heavy foot falls as she continuously circled the room, never coming into the dim light surrounding me. It is said that no vampire has ever laid eyes on their Beast while in the meditative state and that a vampire's Beast form only comes into the light right before the true death of its vassal._

**_Lexa: Today I begin another integration._ **

_Heda huffed in annoyance and irritation continuing to pace around the room, growling and every now and then whimpering._

_This was new._

**_Lexa: What troubles you Heda, have I not fed enough to calm you?_ **

_My Beast has never approved of my diet of strictly animal blood but she has made relative peace with it as long as I maintain control of the hunger._

**_Heda: The humans are not my concern, I am sated. My concern is elsewhere._ **

_Her gruff rumbling voice sounded strained and distracted._

**_Heda: There is a smell in this town, something familiar. I can sense a presence._ **

**_Lexa: Can you be more specific Heda? I have scented many things in this town._ **

_Heda growled loudly at my apparent insolence._

**_Heda: Do not mock me Child!_ **

_I took a deep breath and attempted to calm my mind in order to assist Heda with calming down as well._

**_Lexa: What kind of scent Heda, is it something we've come across before?_ **

_It seemed she finally decided on a spot to rest because I could sense her directly in front of me still in the shadows, evidenced by the fact that I could now make out her bright red animalistic eyes through the darkness._

**_Heda: I am drawn to the scent and I believe soon you will be as well._ **

_She whimpered again and let out a desperate growl._

**_Lexa: I haven't scented anything out of the ordinary stink of human life._ **

**_Heda: You will very soon…_ **

_With that her red eyes brightened dramatically lighting up the chamber in blinding red light before I was forced out and back into consciousness._

**_(Exit)_ **

I gasped loudly and clutched my chest as I came out of the meditative state. The pain I could feel radiating from the center of my chest and into my limbs was excruciating. It fade slightly after a few seconds but didn't go away completely.

**_What the hell was that? Heda has never been that agitated nor has she ever forced me out of the chamber before and what the hell is this feeling?_ **

Questions raced through my mind as I quickly hopped out of the tub and with my vampire speed I was dried, dressed, and had my hair the way I liked it within seconds. I needed to talk to Callie immediately.

As I opened my bedroom door I came face to face with Bellamy.

**_You heard?_ **

He nodded to the question I asked him in my head and had a worried look on his face. Lincoln must have sensed my distress as I was forced out of my meditation.

"I need to talk to Callie... I'm not sure what it means." I said this while I walked passed him and to head down the hall to her office.

Bellamy followed behind me just as worried about what he could hear in my thoughts.

I stood in front of Callie's partially open door and when I went to knock she spoke up.

"You can both come in."

We entered the office and I closed the door behind me. I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk while Bellamy took the one beside me.

Callie eyed the two of us for a few seconds, her eyes lingering on mine, she could probably read the uncertainty in my gaze.

"Is something bothering you Lexa, you seem a little... flustered." She asked in her calm clinical voice that always seemed to put me at ease.

"Heda is restless and concerned about a presence and scent in this town." I replied glancing over at Bellamy who was looking at me, probably trying to focus on my thoughts to replay the meditation session I had in his own mind.

"Well, why don't you tell me everything that happened in your meditation? How does that sound?"

I nodded my head.

**_Well here goes, hopefully she can make more sense out of this than I could…_ **

I went into great detail telling Callie everything I saw, heard, and even felt in the chamber. When I mentioned the part about Heda forcing me out and feeling painful tugging in my chest when I came back into consciousness she didn't even flinch but instead kept her features neutral while she had a thoughtful glint in her eyes.

When I finished telling her everything Bellamy spoke.

"Callie, do you think that what Heda senses could be a threat to the family? From everything that Lexa just said I'm worried that if there is something in this town that has caught the direct attention of a Beast before it even registers to the vassal then it's cause for concern."

Callie leaned back in her chair and eyed me closely before she spoke again.

"I don't believe we should jump to conclusions without getting more information first. Lexa you said that the 'tugging' feeling started when Heda forced you out, am I correct?"

I thought over what she was asking me and tried to briefly remember the feeling.

"Yes, it was a feeling I'd never felt before. I don't remember what it felt like to feel the life leave my body during the change, but I'm almost sure that the feeling was a close second, if not an exact match."

Callie then smiled at me which caught me off guard.

**_Why is she smiling? This could be a serious problem!_ **

Just then Bellamy started to chuckle next to me, obviously reading Callie's mind and finding something amusing also. After regaining his composer he looked over to Callie with a slight smirk.

"Do you really think that Lexa is about to meet one of her potential mates here in this small town?"

Bellamy's question resulted in my jaw damn nearly hitting the floor damaging the hardwood in the office.

**_Mate!? Are you kidding me!?_ **

As if she were the mind reader in the room Callie answered the question I'd just asked in my head.

"The feeling you were experiencing is what is known as  _The_   _Draw_. Remember I explained to you that when a vampire comes across their mates they immediately feel drawn to them?" I nodded indicating that I remembered. "Well that feeling was _The Draw_  of the bonding. I will admit that your explanation of what you felt was on the more extreme end of the spectrum, but I believe the reason for the intensity of the draw you felt to the person could also be the answer to your other question, and an explanation for the scent that Heda has picked up."

I was a little confused, but Bellamy looked to be in deep concentration, probably trying to make sense of Callie's thoughts as well. So, I waited for her to continue.

"Lexa, I believe that your  _Potential Mate_ , is human. If I'm correct it would explain why your bond or draw to her was so strong and instinctual, it would also partially explain Heda's agitation and confusion because a Beast normally doesn't fully desire the closeness of its mate until that mate has reached immortality."

**_That actually made a lot of sense all of a sudden._ **

Bellamy then spoke up. "Callie if this is true, even if Lexa's mate is human why would she get such an unpleasant feeling from being around her mate? I thought that a vampire experiences a sense of euphoria when they are around their mate? Lincoln could feel extreme distress radiating throughout the house and he pinpointed the feeling as one coming from Lexa's bedroom."

It seemed that Callie was already anticipating this question because she immediately had an answer.

"Lexa's situation is a lot different from the mating experience Octavia and Lincoln experienced. This is because Lexa's  _Potential Mate_  is human. When Lincoln came across you and Octavia you were both dying and his instincts immediately drove him to save you both, and because you are both blood related and there was so much blood coming from the two of you he couldn't tell which of you he had been drawn to. He brought you both here so that I could change you knowing that one of you would be a potential mate for him. So Lincoln never got the opportunity to bond with Octavia in her human life, their bond started the morning she woke from the change."

She paused to collect herself so that she could relay the information to us in the simplest way to understand it.

"Because Lexa's  _Potential Mate_  is human, her instinct to be around her all the time, to protect her and keep her safe is exponentially increased due to the human's frailty. Heda will continue to reach out to her mate, the further away and more out of reach the mate becomes to her, the more pain it causes. If a vampire makes skin on skin contact with the human potential the bonding process starts. The Beast will release an invisible energy wave into the human's body, basically making a connection that is only breakable through death. The human will feel something like a liquid energy force flowing into their body from the point of contact with the vampire and into their chest."

**_So, once I make contact with the person, I'm going to basically turn into an addict… Awesome…_ **

Callie continued to explain the logistics of the mating process. "Once the connection is made between the vampire and the human  _Potential Mate_  that human will also feel an almost unbearable draw to the vampire, never wanting to leave his or her side. Unfortunately this is where things will get a little tricky and complicated for you Lexa, but I believe that we should wait until after school, before we discuss this any further." She stood from her chair and went to stand by the window in her office, she gazed outside for a few seconds before addressing us again.

Callie looked at both Bellamy and I.

"I want you both to be careful today and use your judgment. If this human is young and you come across them while in school you should make an effort to observe them without making physical contact. If they are one of your potentials but not human as we are assuming, I haven't ruled this out, we will need to figure out if they are your  _True Mate_  before taking other steps that could possibly expose us."

I spoke up then, "I understand Callie, and I will try to keep my distance until I'm sure that they are human and not a threat to exposing the family."

"Thank you Lexa."

I nodded in understanding and Bellamy and I got up and left the room. After closing Callie's office door we both headed downstairs where everyone else was waiting for us to leave for school.

**_I really hope nothing horrible happens at school today. I've been waiting so long to find someone to spend my eternity with... I hope the wait is finally over._ **

As those thoughts crossed my mind Bellamy placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder offering me an encouraging smile "Don't worry so much Lex, everything will be alright today. If it's meant to be, it will happen, trust me it'll be a good day."

I smiled my thanks for his attempt to comfort me. He then took the last few stairs and went over to where the rest of our siblings were waiting for us.

They all piled into Raven's Jeep to ride to school together knowing that I prefer driving to school on my own.

Just as I was getting ready to pull out of the garage Marcus raced out of the house and into the garage. He came over to the driver's side of my car and I rolled down the window.

As soon as the window was down he immediately reached into the car and placed a comforting hand my shoulder. His scent invaded the car immediately relaxing me, Marcus smelt like honeysuckle and freshly made cookies, his scent always relaxed me and his concern for my happiness was greatly appreciated and also needed this morning.

He pulled his hand away and beamed at me "Callie told me you're about to meet a potential mate. I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you and wish you luck for today. Just be yourself and I'm sure everything will work out as they are meant to."

Marcus is the closest thing to a Father I have, and because I lost most of memories after the change he was the only one that I knew, and his words of comfort always did wonders for me.

I told him thanks and promised I would tell him everything after school today if I came across my potential mate.

After he went back into the house I pulled my car out of the driveway and started to make my way to school ignoring the speed limit completely.

**A/N:**

**The rewrite of this chapter got away from me in all the best ways and I ended up adding so much additional content that it required splitting it in half. The other half which consists of Lexa's POV for the first day of school will be coming up in the next 2 hours or so, I'm almost done with will also be the only chapter that has a repetition of the events on any given day, I needed to do it to see Lexa's reaction to meeting Clarke for the first time.**

**Let me know what you think so far.**

**Later Days, OrangeSmurfette**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**(Lexa's POV still)**

When I arrived in the school parking lot there were a few cars already there and I parked in the back corner where Raven's Jeep was already parked. I got out the car and began to walk into the school with my siblings so we could pick up our class schedules.

On our way into the building the student's that were milling around the parking lot gawked at us and started whisper about our expensive cars and making comments about how attractive we were. We were all used to this by now, because we receive almost the exact response at all of our new schools.

After picking up our schedules and thoroughly freaking the office secretary out, we went our separate ways agreeing to meet up in front of the human feeding hall before lunch. Humans tend to stay away from us due to a deep sense of self-preservation; it was like somewhere in the recesses of their minds they knew we were predators which made them want to keep their distance and as a made my was through the halls to my first calls the human's parted the way like Moses parted the red sea, Their self-preservation mechanism is a blessing in a high school environment when it comes to getting from point A to point B unhindered.

My first Class for the day is AP English and as I made my way down the halls the tardy bell rang so I quickened my step making it to the classroom just as the teacher was getting ready to do attendance.

I walked into the room, and it fell silent and almost everyone looked up at the new addition to their class. I stood in front of the teacher's desk and waited for him to look up from the attendance sheet that he was holding in his hand. While I waited I could detect a distinct scent in the room that stood out from all the other scents in the entire building, it was musky and sweet and I had to swallow back the venom that stated to gather in my mouth as Heda pushed at my consciousness and growled lowly in my mind.

When the teacher finally noticed my presence he did a double take, then quickly recovered and addressed me. "You must be our new addition." He said in a steady voice. "Yes sir, my name is Alexandria Woods, sorry I am bit late, I lost my way getting here."

"Oh yes, that's fine. Alright Miss. Woods, why don't you go take a seat next to Miss. Griffin," I briefly glanced over to my left and out of my peripheral I saw a hand being raised it the back right corner of the room by the window, "I'm sure she will have no problem with answering any questions you may have about the school since you are new here."

Once the teacher, Mr. Wagner the name on his desk read, directed me to my seat I turned around to make my way down the aisle. When I finally gave the girl Mr. Wagner referred to as Miss. Griffin a good look, I almost stopped dead in my tracks.

The scent in the room was coming from her.

And the tugging in my chest returned full force.

As I drew closer to this beautiful creature I was able to make out her features clearly. She has gorgeous light blue almost green eyes, with drops of honey around her pupils, and full bodied blonde hair that flowed over her shoulders and down her back.

When I stopped next to the vacant chair beside her she was staring at me blankly and didn't appear to be breathing.

I looked down at her with an amused expression, waiting for her to collect her thoughts and start breathing again.

_**Callie was right, she is the one, I just know it… and she must be feeling the draw too, that is probably why she seems so shocked.** _

As she started to come back to reality I noticed that she was panicking a little and a slight blush was creeping up get neck. I thought that the rise of her blood to the surface of her skin would send Heda into a fit, but it didn't, I could almost hear my Beast purring as her scent wafted up into my nose when her blush intensified. Her sweet musky scent was a mix of strawberries and lilacs, along with something else that was even more powerful but unidentifiable.

"Hi, I'm Clarke." she said. It came out a little shaky, but the raspy alto tone of her voice was very welcoming to my ears and I instantly fell in love with it.

I smiled at her and offered my hand for her to shake.

_**This is it… I know she's the one; Heda and I are in agreement on this front. When she shakes my hand she will become ours and ours only.** _

"Hello Clarke, I am Lexa" I said steadily.

I waited for her to recover wits and when she shook her head and finally took my hand I felt it.

My Beast roared inside my head and a steady stream of euphoria spread throughout my body and traveled into hers by way of our connected hands. I watched as her eyes flickered and a slight tremor passed through her body.

_**She felt it! I knew she was the one!** _

After the initial bond took place Heda completely relax and start to purr. Clarke then looked at me queerly, our hands where still connected, and I realized that she was probably baffled about the feeling that just washed over her.

I regretfully pulled my hand from hers, and saw a frown flash across her face.

We didn't talk again for the rest of the class, I wished we were in the room alone so that I could ask her all sorts of questions about herself, I felt the need to learn everything there was to know about my mate in short order.

' _ **My Mate' I could really get used to that…**_

When the class ended I dreaded parting ways with her, so I tried to stall her by asking what class she had next. I wanted to spend as much time around her as possible before we were forced to apart again.

Clarke dug into her back pocket and I found myself wishing I was her hand…

She fished out her schedule and when she had it unfolded I stepped closer to her and moved my body in as close as I could get it without actually touching her while I read over her classes.

Her amazing strawberry and lilac scent engulfed me, almost making me light headed. Heda's purr returned full force. She was demanding that I claim our mate right here and right now. As I was trying to resist the urge to take her right here in the classroom on top of a desk a small moan escaped her lips, traveled into my ear, through my body and settling in between my legs.

That moan put me over the edge and I tilted my head up towards her lips, inching closer to her face.

_**Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit… I can't stop… do I even want to stop? …just one kiss, just one… and maybe a little more…** _

Just as I was about to kiss her I heard a throat clearing in the front of the room.

Clarke and I both whipped our heads over to the intruder and I was greeted with the sight of Bellamy leaning up against the door frame. Unfortunately Clarke was beyond startled and as she took a big leap away from me I quickly shot my arm out and wrapped it around her torso steadying her before she could crash to the floor and hurt herself.

"Oh my god Clarke! Are you okay?" I exclaimed, quickly checking her out for injuries from me grabbing her, thankfully there were none.

She nodded that she was fine, and started to blush again.

_**I guess she does that a lot, it's really endearing and definitely something I can get used to.** _

Once I was sure that she was steady and wouldn't fall over and hurt herself I turned my attention to Bellamy who was still leaning against the door frame.

I hissed at him for frightening my mate and obviously for interrupting an intimate moment, even though I knew he was probably doing it for the best. The sound was too low and too quick for Clarke to pick up and when she stood beside me again I introduced her to him.

"Clarke, I would like to introduce you to my brother Bellamy" I said gesturing towards him "Bellamy, this is Clarke Griffin." He tipped his head to her and returned his attention to me.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here," he paused, and I gestured for him to continue. "Marcus has asked me to inform you to head straight home after school today, there's something very important that he and Mother would like to discuss with you."

Then too quiet and fast for Clarke to understand he continued.

"I'm sorry I interrupted, but I heard your thoughts and thought I should intervene before someone walked in on you molesting the poor girl." He chuckled at that before continuing "I take it that she is the one then, since all I'm picking up from you are intense urges to both protect and claim. I think you should go talk to Callie and Marcus before you have any more physical contact with her."

I quickly nodded my head, too fast for Clarke to pick up and told him we would talk at lunch.

When we both turned around to look at her she took a slight step back, which was understandable, mating bond or not we were still two predatory vampires.

Bellamy excused himself, and although I didn't want to I said my goodbyes to Clarke informing her that we had last period gym together before I took off to my next class. When I was out of sight of her the tugging in my chest returned but it was nowhere as strong as it was before the bonding, it was slightly bearable now.

_**Only two more classes until I get to see her at lunch.** _

My two classes flew by, I did not really pay attention to anyone or anything that was being said, instead opting to relive my first encounter with Clarke in my head over and over again, both for myself and for Heda who I could feel reaching out for her. Because I wasn't in a meditative state I couldn't communicate with Heda to fully calm her worry so I instead just focused on the memories and controlling my breathing.

When lunch finally came around I followed all of the human's to the feeding hall which wouldn't have been hard for me to find on my own, all I would have had to do is follow the wretched scent of the nasty food that the human's eat to find my way.

When I approached the doors to the feeding hall I saw my siblings all gathered outside the school out of the door to the right of the cafeteria entrance. I walked outside to meet them.

"So, Lexus! I hear you've found your mate and she's a hot piece of human tail, props sis!" Raven's loud obnoxious statement didn't bother me at all; I was quite content with accepting that my mate was a fine piece of ass.

_**A fine piece of ass that's all mine and mine alone that is.** _

Octavia promptly slapped Raven on the shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell O?!" she cried out rubbing at the sight of the infliction.

"Leave Lexa alone, and stop being a pervert."

She then looked over to me and smiled a genuine smile, which was rare for Octavia, trust me.

"Lexa I'm really happy for you, I mean her being human may cause some problems, but as long as you're happy we're happy." I smiled at her and thanked her for her support.

Bellamy then spoke up. "Well Lexa, I'm not entirely sure she's all human…" he paused as we all turned to look at him practically at the edge of our seats " …what I mean is, when I was around her, I could barely make out her thoughts, it was like trying to listen to someone on your cellphone while you drive through the mountains. Her thoughts were cutting in and out, sometimes they were crystal clear but other times I couldn't hear anything at all."

Sensing Bellamy's frustration of not being able to figure out why he couldn't read Clarke Lincoln then began to speak. "Bellamy is right, there is something different about her, and I mean there is no doubting that she is human, what with the heartbeat but… I am certain I am not the only one that noticed that her blood is extremely intoxicating; more so than any other human I have ever come across." At hearing this Bellamy immediately nodded his head in agreement.

"Lincoln was telling me that all throughout the class he shares with her he had to use almost all of his control not to attack her." Bellamy continued.

A low growl immediately started to rumble in my chest at the thought of anyone attacking my mate, blood brother or otherwise. And Heda immediately started to growl and pace again.

Bellamy looked over at me and held his hands up in surrender.

"No need to get aggressive Lex, nothing happened, Lincoln was just making a point, you know he would never try to harm your mate, none of us would."

Octavia immediately moved closer to her mate running her hand up and down his muscular arms in an effort to help calm the empath. I felt a little ashamed of my reaction and bowed my head murmuring a soft apology.

Octavia placed her hand on my shoulder and tried to comfort me as well.

"It's okay Lexa we understand, and we aren't offended that you reacted that way towards us, after all none of us knows what it's like to have a mate as fragile as a human, so don't worry about it."

I smiled at here, happy that she knew that I needed a sister and not an interrogator right now.

After we all decided it was best to report everything to Callie and Marcus after school we made our way into the feeding hall.

When we entered it instantly went silent. Again.

_**Typical…** _

We all glided across the room and took a table that was empty in the corner, we didn't bother purchasing a lunch today, it was the first day of school and no one would really notice that we were not eating. But we will have to start buying the prop food so as not to raise suspicion.

As we sat at our table waiting for the lunch period to be over, Lincoln and Octavia were talking to each other quietly and Bellamy and Raven were also having a quite conversation. I used this time grab another unoccupied chair from a close by table and kicked boot clad feet up on it as I began to scan the room looking for my mate.

As my eyes drifted over to her Raven's bombing laughter invaded my ears, I quickly glanced at her and she whispered that the kids at Clarke's table were informing her about the sexual deviance that seems to run in our family.

I smirked at that and turned my attention back to Clarke. When her eyes made contact with mine I winked at her and she blushed furiously. I decided that I would make it my goal to make her blush as much as possible; she was so cute when she did it.

Lunch finally ended and I watched Clarke throw out her leftovers and head out of the hall.

The tug returned again, but I pushed it down reminding myself that I would see her during gym in approximately 2 hours.

My next two classes were just as uneventfully as the two I had before lunch and I found myself contentedly gliding my way through the hallways when I was finally released from my second class of the afternoon and headed for gym.

When I entered the locker room I went to the back of the room and choose a locker in a secluded corner.

I started to strip off my clothes to change into the gym uniform, when I only had my panties and bra left on my body I reached for the gym shirt and began to pull it over my head.

While I was in the process of bringing to shirt done I caught a whiff of strawberries and lilacs and I knew that Clarke was standing in behind me. I made no attempt to hurry up, instead I slowly pulled the shirt down over my head giving her every opportunity to look over the body that she unconsciously laid claim to a few hours prior. Once I was done I looked over at her.

"Hello Clarke."

After gathering herself she mumbled a rushed 'hi' while continuing to blush and scrambled to get her gym clothes on. I finished up with getting ready then looked over at her.

"I suppose I will see you out there" I said to her while quickly giving her body a once over.

I small sigh escaped my lips. And Heda let loose a forlorn whimper.

_**I really want to stay and watch her change, but I am positive that will put me down in her book as a complete creeper.** _

"Yeah, I guess so..." she replied, I could tell she was trying not to stutter. So I decided to leave the room and give her the opportunity to change in private.

Gym class with Clarke was very entertaining and informative. I learned that my mate was quite possibly the clumsiest human to ever walk the planet and she was probably a complete danger magnet. She managed to make it out of gym class without any serious injuries and I managed to make it through the class without ripping the head off of anyone that came close to hurting her with that damn volleyball.

I quickly went into the locker room to shower right when the teacher blew the whistle. When I got out of the shower I noticed that Clarke's locker was left open, indicating that she was in the shower.

I got dressed into my simple blue skinny jeans, white tank top, and fitted leather jacket that matched the combat boots I was wearing before gym.

As I was putting the second boot on I could smell Clarke coming towards me, and her scent was even more potent after being freshly showered. When she came around the corner she stopped and gazed at me for a while and when I stood up she blushed and hurried over to her locker to get dressed.

I turned to my own locker and began to pack away my dirty gym clothes while sneaking glances at her; I couldn't see anything really, just her back, but it was enough to have my mouth fill with venom and Heda panting with want.

_**I really really want her… but I'm going to have to take this slowly, I don't want to scare her.** _

When she was finally dressed and had her bag ready to go she turned around to face me.

"Would you mind if we walk out to the parking lot together? It seems that we are the only ones left, I could use the company" I gave her a warm smiled as I waiting for her response.

She looked like she was debating it and didn't want to be away from me as much as I didn't want to be away from her.

"Sure that sounds great" she squeaked out with a smile on her face and only a little bit of a stutter this time.

We walked silently out of the locker room, out of the gym and down the hallway leading out to the parking lot.

When we exited the school I saw that only my car and an early model orange mustang were left in the student parking lot.

I saw Clarke eying my car and I was happy to see that she seemed to like it.

"Is that your car?" she looked shocked but she was trying to hide it.

"Yeah, that's my baby, it's an  _Aston Martin Vanquish S,_ I won it in a bet with Bellamy, and he had to buy it for me after he lost." I replied nonchalantly.

She ogled my car for a few minutes before I tried to bring her out of her haze by asking her what her plans were for later.

_**Please, please don't say you have plans…** _

"I don't really have any, I was planning to just do homework and make dinner for my dad, what about you?" she asked.

"I heard that there is a really nice beach close by and I was thinking about checking it out." I told her.

She thought about what I said for a bit then replied " That's cool I know the beach you're talking about. The one on the other side of town is way better than that one though. Wouldn't you rather go there?"

_**Yeah… I'm a Vampire I'm pretty sure I'm not welcomed over there… too bad I can't just tell her that… soon though, I hope…** _

"uhm… no my brothers ventured out there during the weekend when we were settling in and they did not enjoy it apparently. So, I figured I would check out the other one and see if it is any better… I was wondering if you would like to accompany me, seeing as though I am new around here… you could show me around maybe, that is of course if it isn't too much trouble…"

A slow grin appeared on her face as she answered my question agreeing to accompany me to the beach.

A full smile spread across my Heda expressed her satisfaction with the arrangement by purring and panting loudly in y head.

"Great, I am happy you agreed, I have enjoyed spending time with you today, however short that time has been" I then slowly leaned forward looking deeply into her eyes as I placed a lingering kiss on her cheek.

She placed her hand over the cheek I'd just kissed and I smirked while she blushed yet again.

_**I really love it when she does that…** _

"You know, you are incredibly adorable when you blush Clarke, you should not be ashamed of it, it is very endearing."

She murmured an 'I guess' and looked at her feet.

"Okay lets exchange phone number's so that I can call for direction to your house, I have

to head home to speak with my Father, but I will come pick you up after I am done so that we can head down to the beach, is that okay with you?" I asked her.

She nodded her head in agreement and I handed her my phone so that she could program her number into it, I then grabbed her phone and programmed my number into it before handing it back to her.

"Okay see you in about an hour Clarke" I then turned and walked over to my car, slipped inside, turned it on, and waved at her before peeling out of the parking lot heading down towards home.

The tugging returned and got worse the further I got away from Clarke, Heda whimpers softly but again it was not as bad as it felt before I made the physical bond with her.

Now I just need to go home and get some more information from Callie before I could go see  _My Mate_  again.

**A/N:**

**Not sure if I'm going to post again tonight, I might, already started sousing out the next chapter, if I don't post before going to bed expect another one or two chapters tomorrow.**

**Thanks to everyone that has Favorited and Followed the story so far and special thanks to the people that have reviewed. I appreciate it and hope I can hold your interest in the story to the bitter end.**

**Please always feel free to point out consistency issues to me, I'm trying really hard to reread the chapters after I've altered them to ensure all the old elements of the previous work are updated but I might slip as guest reviewer PersonPerson pointed out with the one incident of the name Edward appearing in the text instead of Bellamy.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Later Dayz, OrangeSmurfette.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Just a quick note that I have an awesome Beta for this story now, she reviewed this chapter for me and she will be working through the previous chapters in order to correct the overwhelming amount of spelling and grammatical errors I had all over the place.**

**So shout out to the amazing Lupa1208 for her patience in assisting me with making sure the writing for this story isn't completely atrocious anymore.**

**Sorry for the interruption, enjoy.**

**Chapter 5**

**(Lexa's POV)**

The drive home was uncomfortable. It felt as if I had a hole in my chest that was expanding with every mile I moved farther away from where I left my mate. But I knew that I needed to speak with Callie before I could proceed Clarke, especially since I had now bonded with her.

I wasn't worried about Callie being upset that I did not keep my distance, Heda and I were both in agreement when it came to the matter of Clarke being our mate. As soon as I set eyes on her we knew that we could no longer exist if she was not by our side.

The silence in my car became overwhelming as I constantly replayed the events of the day in my head. I knew that there was no sense in continuing to obsess over all of this until after I spoke to Callie so I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and hit shuffle on my music list.

The speakers in my car filled with the sound of Train's  _Drops of Jupiter_  and the song made images of Clarke's beautiful face and golden hair shimmering in sunlight fill my mind.

I pulled into the garage next to Raven's Jeep as the song was ending and Callie was already at the door leading into the kitchen from the garage waiting for me.

As I got out of the car, Callie walked over and wrapped her arms around me. Her chamomile and green apple scent engulfed me and I briefly felt my mind and body relax.

"How did it go  _Gona_?" she asked in her nurturing tone.

I raised my head from her shoulder where it was resting during our hug and smiled up at her.

"It went very well  _Nomon_. She is beautiful and I am sure she is my mate. As soon as I saw her, and scented her Heda and I were in agreement for the first time in my existence… I felt right… whole."

Callie smiled down at me, briefly tightening her hold before loosening her grip and leading me into the house.

"I am very happy to hear that, you've been alone for too long."

I smiled at her in agreement.

_**Almost 500 years is a long time to wait for a mate.** _

"Why don't we head up to your Father's office to finish talking about all of this? Your siblings are all out hunting."

I nodded gratefully, she is always so understanding.

Marcus met us at the door and gestured for us to enter. Callie ghosted over to the other side of Marcus' desk and took a seat in his chair while he hovered slightly behind her leaning back against the large windowsill.

After I was seated in front of the desk Callie addressed me.

"Okay Lexa, how about you fill me in on how the day went?"

I took a deep breath and told them both everything that had transpired since my arrival in my AP English class this morning. I spared no details and also informed them of what my siblings told me before lunch about their interactions with Clarke throughout the day.

"It sounds to me that Clarke is most definitely either one of your  _Potential Mate's_  or she could very well be your  _True Mate_."

Although I did not need Callie to confirm that Clarke was indeed my  _True Mate_ , or one of my  _Potentials,_  I did feel better hearing her come to the same conclusion based on what I had just told her.

"Now that you have made physical contact with her the bonding process has started and there is no way of stopping it."

Callie did not seem upset that I already made physical contact with Clarke, even though she asked me to keep my distance and take things slow. For a brief moment I felt a pang of guilt for not following her request.

"I know that I said that I would keep my distance so that we could first figure out if she is indeed human, but I could not help myself. Heda is sure she is our mate, and it was almost as if she would not let me relax until I made contact with Clarke." I hung my head in shame at my lack of obedience but Callie would hear none of it.

"Nonsense, there is no need to apologize. In fact, I had a feeling that the day would turn out this way, which is why I had Marcus communicate to Bellamy and ask him to deliver that message to you. This is not the first time I have witnessed two mates bonding. I remember and understand the draw Lexa, so there is no need to be ashamed."

I lifted my head looking into her gentle honey gold eyes, and then over to Marcus who was still leaning against the windowsill wearing a warm loving smile. Once again I thought about how lucky Lincoln and I are that Callie found us and gave us a family to call our own.

" _Mochof_." I said with more sincerity than I could ever actually put into words.

"Now that I know you aren't disappointed in me, I have to ask what I should expect to happen next." Underneath the warm smiles and soft honey gold eyes I could see that they were both worried about something.

_**Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like where this goes?** _

Before I could worry myself any further Callie cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Because your mate is human it complicates the mating process…"

She briefly glanced at Marcus and he moved forward to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she returned her gaze to me.

"… The reason for this is that your Heda will want to feed off of Clarke in order to be that much closer to her."

_**What!?** _

I shot up from my seat in my panic and pinned her to her chair with my blazing gaze.

"I would never hurt my mate!" I growled out in a voice that was almost foreign to me.

Marcus then moved away from Callie's side and around the desk stopping beside me and placing both his hands on my shoulders effectively turning me towards him and away from his mate.

" _Gona_  please calm down and allow your mother to explain." Marcus' honey gold eyes locked with my now black ones, his eyes shimmered with love and understanding as he begged me to calm down and listen.

I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths in an effort to calm myself and Heda, who was now growling so loudly that the sound was echoing throughout my mind and fueling my raging emotions. When I opened my eyes again I could feel that the black inky rage had receded and they were returning to their normal color.

_**I would never hurt Clarke... I know I couldn't…** _

Once I was calm and seated in front of the desk again Marcus sat in the chair beside me, a gesture I greatly appreciated. I returned my gaze to Callie shooting her an apologetic smile before asking her to continue.

"No need to be embarrassed Lexa; your reaction was completely understandable considering your situation. As I was saying, your Beast craves closeness with its mate and because Clarke is human your Heda does not see her as an equal therefore your bond would not be as strong as the bond between two vampires. The only way for your Beast to rectify this would be for you to ingest Clarke's blood, her essence, and making her apart of you in the physical sense."

Callie further explains that because Heda will be so focused on Clarke she will not want to feed off of my original food source, but instead she will want to feed off of Clarke alone.

Callie gave me time to digest all of this and my mind raced off into visions of my mate drained of blood in my arms and my screams doing nothing to bring her lifeless body back to consciousness.

Heart no longer beating…

Eye's devoid of life…

_**Why would my Heda want to intentionally hurt Clarke? Why is this the only way? What if I kill her? I would never forgive myself. I would turn myself over to a Triad enforcer and welcome the true death.** _

Callie pulled out an old leather bound journal and pushed it across the top of the desk. The journal stopped at the edge in front of me, forcing my thoughts back to the present as I inspected the worn cover and binding.

Marcus then placed his left hand over my right and gave it a gentle squeeze causing my gaze to shift from the book to him.

"Lexa your Beast will never and can never cause harm to its mate, your Beasts' sole purpose in existence now is to protect her at all cost."

"Then why would it want to feed off of her and only her, I could kill her Marcus! I understand that we've only just met, but I feel like I can't live without her, I feel like I can't exist if she isn't by my side. If I killed her I would never forgive myself!" I dropped my eyes to the hardwood floor of Marcus' office as my eyes filled with blood tears.

"I know dear, but it's not all bad, please give your mother a chance to explain everything before you get yourself too worked up, okay?"

I nodded and looked back over the table at Callie as she continued to study me with gentle curious eyes.

"Lexa, I understand your worry where this is concerned, but I assure you that it is not needed. Like Marcus just said, Heda would never intentionally cause harm to Clarke, and although she will want to feed off of Clarke and Clarke alone, she would never take enough blood to kill her, and actually the experience would be quite pleasurable and relaxing for your mate."

I gave Callie and Marcus both a confused and skeptical look.

"Allow me to explain, as result of the two of you making physical contact the bonding energy that now flows through Clarke's system will continue to build up, eventually making her agitated, short tempered, moody and constantly exhausted…If you  _mate_  with and feed from her it would alleviate the discomfort caused by the pent up energy and it would be extremely pleasurable for the both of you."

"So, you're saying that the feeding is not only to my benefit but to Clarke's as well?"

"Yes that is exactly what I'm saying." Callie replied with clear amusement written all over her face.

_**I'm still not comfortable with feeding off of my mate, even if I know Heda will not hurt her.** _

Callie then went on…

"Remember, if you do not  _mate_  with Clarke and feed off of her, she will go through a period of mood changes, extreme irritability and agitation, which would then lead to exhaustion. Eventually, she will start to feel the physical pain of the incomplete bonding, and that pain could possibly kill her."

"How long do I have before she starts to feel these effects?"

Callie then brought my attention back to the leather bound journal on the table as she ran her fingers over its bindings.

"It appears that it differs depending on if the human is one of your  _Five Potential Mates_ , or your  _True Mate._ "

She lifted her eyes from the journal and looked into the eyes of her mate who was still sitting next to me. They shared a meaningful exchange with their gaze before she continued.

"This journal contains my written account of everything that took place from the moment I met a very human Marcus, to after his newborn years. This is not the first time that a vampire has come across one of their mates that turned out to be a human. I'm surprised that you did not remember that Marcus was human when I first met him."

In vampire culture most mated couples do not make it a habit of sharing their bonding experience with others outside of their coven, I have been a part of Callie's coven my entire immortal life and the only other mated couple's experience I have to reference is Octavia and Lincoln.

"Marcus is my  _True Mate_ , I know this because he began to feel the negative effects of the Bonding only weeks after we first made physical contact. I have heard other reports of human and vampire bonding's where the effects were not felt until well over three months after the human first has physical contact with the vampire. In these cases it turned out that the human was not the vampire's  _True Mate_ but one of its  _Five Potential_."

Opening the journal to one of the first entries I see that it is titled 'Blood Replenishment'.

"The Triad came across this problem long ago and over the centuries have come up with a way to help the human potentials replenish their blood and heal bite wounds after their vampire mate feeds. It is a simple tablet that can be dissolved into water and rubbed onto the bite wound, thereby closing and healing it. Then when the human drinks the elixir it is absorbed into the bloodstream and acts as a replicator, cloning blood cells and replacing the lost blood within a few hours." As she finishes her explanation she picks up the journal and offers it to me.

I took it before asking my next question.

"Why didn't the Triad just use this pill to replicate mass quantities of blood for human drinking vampires instead of killing innocent people?"

"A very good question, but unfortunately the pill doesn't work that way. For some reason the blood would only replicate inside the humans body who ingests it. When they tried to use it on humans they feed on they found out that the replicated blood wasn't the same as it was prior to the elixir. Vampires who tried to feed off of the replicated blood became violently ill, only the vampire who is mated to the human is able to drink the altered blood."

I nodded my head in understanding and waited for Callie to continue but Marcus spoke up first.

"It seems that whoever it was that created this pill insured that there would be a fail-safe so that the pill can't be used to turn any willing or forced humans into walking never ending blood bags for vampires."

Tilting my head in amazement I asked, "If the Triad made this pill why would they put such a limitation on it, when this could have been to their advantage since they are human drinkers?"

Callie stood from her chair and walked over to the large painting hanging on the far left side of the wall. It shows all three rulers of the vampire nation, the three of them having equal leadership in the royal coven known as the Triad, with Callie and Marcus standing off to the side in the background.

"No one knows who exactly was responsible for creating the pill but from what little I know it is a person that prefers to work in the background and they are very secretive."

Noticing Callie's pensive demeanor as she gazed at the painting I asked, "We're you able to find out anything about this mystery person during your time with the Triad?"

She then turned around to face us again.

"During our time with them I tried to get information, but I was constantly turned down. I tried for decades, explaining that as a seeker of knowledge in the supernatural and scientific field I would have enjoyed picking at this person's brain but they weren't forthcoming with a name or any information for that matter in regards to the production of the pill. They only explained its benefits and side effects."

_**Side effects? I don't know if I like the sound of that…** _

"What kind of side effects occur after use of these pills?" I almost didn't want to know.

"Other than the fact that the replicated blood taste takes on a different nature which makes it only viable for use by the human's vampire mate, it also increases the human's senses. Not to the point where they are at a vampire's level, or any other supernatural for that matter, but it is increasingly better than that of the average human."

_**That's not so bad.** _

"If the human continues to ingest the tablets, their senses will continue to increase over time, until the effects plateau. The human will have increased sight, hearing, sense of smell, speed and strength. Although, as much as the human might be taking on vampire attributes they would just get a portion of the power of each, for as long as they remain human and on the pill. All of that being said, Clarke will still be just as vulnerable to being wounded like any other human and she will continue to age."

Looking to both of my adoptive parents I asked, "Why have you never mentioned all of this to me before or to any of us for that matter?"

Callie walked over to the chair I was sitting in and looked down at me with understanding eyes.

"I understand your frustration with not having this information beforehand but a situation like this never occurred within our coven to give me the opportunity to explain it. Other than myself, no one else in the family had a human mate to go through the mating process with. So, there was never a reason for the subject to be brought up in detail."

Marcus then gave my hand a gentle squeeze and I shifted my gaze from Callie's face to his.

"Lexa we are here for you no matter what. Callie and I both know that this will not be an easy situation for you and Clarke."

Callie then looked down to my lap, where I had placed the journal, and she places one of her hands on top of it while she crouched down beside my chair.

"This journal contains most if not all the information that you will need to get through this. Clarke will be okay, you will not hurt her, and the things that you are feeling and the things that are happening are all necessary to bring you both closer together."

When she finished her eyes glistened a little and she stood and pulled me up into a tight hug.

After a few minutes of us breathing in each other's scents, Marcus placed his hand on Callie's shoulder chuckling.

"Maybe you should let her go so that we can finish this talk, I'm sure that Lexa has some place she would like to be."

Marcus was right and I shot him an appreciative look as Callie released me.

After straightening my clothes I stood from my seat and turned to both of them.

"Thank you both for all of this, there is something that I would like to ask you both, it's been weighing heavily on my mind since this morning."

"Ask away" Marcus encouraged me.

"I assume that since the Triad makes and distributes this pill the laws surrounding keeping our existence a secret from humans does not apply to the ones we are mated to… Do you think that Clarke will take the news well… about what I am when I tell her?"

I understand that they cannot truly answer this question because they don't know Clarke, but I just needed some kind of reassurance. Based on everything I have learned today, I will have to tell her what I am soon if the bonding process is to continue in a healthy and unhindered fashion.

They both exchange a look before looking back at me and Marcus spoke first.

"Lexa, when Callie told me what she was it honestly didn't faze me, I was already so head over heels in love that it just didn't matter."

"Your father is right, you should trust your bond with Clarke and remember that no matter what the two of you are meant to be, trust your mate to handle the truth and everything will turn out fine."

I ghosted over to both of them and they enveloped me in a short embrace. I have barely any memories of mine and Lincoln's human life, but I could not imagine our human parents being much competition to Callie and Marcus.

"Thank you both for everything." I mumbled into Callie's shoulder they both release me and I picked up the journal on my way out of the office.

"You're welcome  _Gona_. Don't worry so much, everything will turn out just fine." Callie's words washed over me and I tried to absorb them into my being willing them to be true, but somehow I knew that Clarke and I would face many roadblocks before we could be truly happy together.

As I made my way down the hallway and I deposited the journal in my room then went down stairs.

_**It probably would be a good idea for me to go on a quick hunt before seeing Clarke again.** _

I could smell my siblings coming toward the house so I waited on the back porch for them to come out of the tree line and into the backyard.

Bellamy was the first to come into view stopping a few feet away from me with a slight frown on his face.

"Lexa, you have to stop thinking like that, Callie is right you really have nothing to worry about. You will not hurt her, and she is your  _Mate_  she will not reject you."

"Thanks Bell, I know I'm being ridiculous with my insecurities, but I just don't want to screw this up."

He stepped closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Which you won't, you just need to stop overthinking things and let your instincts guide you from here on out. Your Beast knows who Clarke is and would never make you do anything to put her in danger or harm her."

As Bellamy released me I thanked him for his kind words and looked over his shoulder to see Raven, Octavia and Lincoln come out of the woods.

"So how'd your big meeting with pops go Lexus?" Raven asked as she stopped next to me and attempted to put me in a playful headlock, I dodged her easily, centuries of experience taught me how to successfully anticipate and avoid her constant need to wrestle with someone when I'm not in the mood.

"It went fine actually." I offered her a genuine smile and shoved her away from me as I sensed she was sizing me up for some kind of sneak attack.

"I am going to hunt before I head over to Clarke's. I will see you all later."

They all said their goodbyes. Octavia gave me a lingering hug while smiling reassuringly at me before disappearing into the house with everyone else.

I then made my way deep into the woods in search of sustenance.

**A/N:**

**Later in the story I will go into how** **Trigedasleng comes into play, for now here are the translations for those who don't already know:**

_**Gona** _ **= Warrior (used as Callie's pet name for Lexa. I'll go into detail about its origin later, Callie, and sometimes Marcus, are the only ones that use it)**

_**Nomon** _ **= Mother**

_**Mochof** _ **= Thank you**

**Also, when Clarke starts to spend time with the family she will learn more about how they were each changed and their different relationships to each other. If something is mentioned in passing that probably seems like it should be expanded on don't worry about it, Clarke will basically be Questions Magee soon and all of those things will be addressed accordingly.**

**We will be checking in on Clarke next chapter along with getting some Clexa interaction.**

**I am prone to missing things and not catching somethings. If that is the case leave it in a review and we'll make sure it gets fixed. -Lupa**

**Thanks for reading, let us know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Chapter beta reviewed by Lupa1208. She is trying to fix my terribly written English. I am making an effort to make it easier on her though… It's a work in progress! She was up until damn near 4am correcting this chapter and I'm eternally grateful to her for being such an awesome trooper.**

**Enjoy the update, it's a little shorter than normal, I wanted to set up what happens in the next chapter. It will be uploaded by the end of this week hopefully, if not then by the weekend.**

**Chapter 6**

**(Clarke's POV)**

It took 40 minutes of sitting in my car in the school parking lot to calm down enough in order to drive home. When Lexa left the tightening in my chest escalated so dramatically that it became nearly crippling. After taking a few hundred deep breaths I finally felt calm enough to drive. The discomfort didn't go away but it was slightly bearable now.

Once I was finally on my way home I rolled both my windows down to enjoy the fresh damp air outside as it assisted me with further calming down. The feeling was actually starting to worry me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that it was never present when I was around Lexa, but it always made itself known as soon as she left.

I didn't know if this was because she provided a good distraction from it or if she was the cause, but what I did know was that it was a feeling that I had never felt before and one I wanted remedied as soon as possible.

As I pulled into the driveway of my house I noticed that Finn's Ducati was parked on the street. Looking up to the porch I saw him sitting on the steps with his helmet next to him.

_**God… I wonder what he wants. I'm so not in the mood for a fight with him right now.** _

I turned off the engine, got out of the car then made my way over to the steps leading up to my porch... and Finn.

"Hey." He said simply as I stopped in front of him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

He almost looked offended.

"What? I need a reason to come visit my girlfriend now?"

I glared at him, my agitation quickly rising.

"We've been through this Finn, we aren't together anymore. I broke up with you over a month ago. How is it that you conveniently forget this every time I see you?"

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket indicating that I had missed a call or a text while I was driving home but I paid no attention to it.

He stood from his seated position on the top step of the porch and took a step down towards me, towering over my five and a half foot frame. I instinctively took a few steps back until I was once again standing on the pavement of the driveway.

"What is your malfunction Clarke?! You know that we belong together; there is no one out there that could come close to being as good for you as I am! Why are you fighting it?"

_**Oh, I beg to differ my friend. I could think of one person off the top of my head…** _

His voice continued to increase in volume and I could see that his hands were balled up into fists.

I wasn't afraid that he would hit me, but I didn't like the feeling I was getting from him. Not one bit.

"I want you to leave Finn. I refuse to have this idiotic conversation with you again." I said this with as much confidence as I could muster letting him know that I wasn't going to let him manipulate me anymore and dictate my feelings.

"No." he said defiantly, crossing his shaking arms over his chest in an obvious display of his intent to stay exactly where he was.

I took a step closer to him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I'm not leaving this porch until you tell me what your problem is and you take me back."

"Well you'll be standing out here for a real long time because there's nothing wrong with me and there's no way in hell I would ever take you back. Especially not after this display of idiocy"

I made to walk around him and up the stairs but as I passed by him he grabbed my right arm in a firm grip and pulled me into his body.

"I'm not done talking to you Clarke." He said into my ear, his voice dripping with defiance and a bit of malice.

Just as I was about to demand that he let me go I heard an animalistic growl resonate all around me.

When Finn and I turned our heads and looked down the driveway Lexa was standing there with her pitch black eyes fixed on where Finn's hand was gripping my arm.

_**What the hell? Why is she growling like an animal and why are her eyes black?** _

When I opened my mouth to ask her just that she lifted her rage filled black eyes to Finn's face and the sound of her voice made me tremble a little.

"Get your filthy hands off of her mongrel _."_ She growled out through gritted teeth and bent her knees as if preparing to attack.

_**What the hell is wrong with her?** _

Before I could finish my thought I felt Finn's hand start to shake even more and when I looked at him I could see that he was clenching and unclenching his jaw. The expression on his face was a cross between someone who was completely enraged and someone who had just smelt the worst odor in the world.

"It's none of your business what I do with  _my_  girlfriend parasite."

Lexa moved up the driveway and I swear it looked like she just channeled Flash Gordon because she was beside me in seconds.

"I suggest you let go of her before I make it my business pup." She muttered out in a deadly tone.

Finn's presence this close to me was more than a little uncomfortable, but once Lexa appeared beside me I felt a deep sense of relief wash over me. I subconsciously maneuvered my body closer to her as she continued to glare daggers into Finn with her blackened eyes.

Just as it appeared like Finn and Lexa were getting ready to rip into each other, physically, I heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and we all shifted our gaze to see my Dad exiting his car.

_**What's he doing here at this time?** _

Realizing that he still had my arm locked in his grasp Finn quickly dropped it and took a step away from Lexa and me.

As soon as he was far enough away Lexa immediately took a step in front of me placing herself between me and him.

"What's all this?" I looked to the bottom of the steps to see a confused expression on my Dad's face as his eyes shifted between the three of us.

"Nothing Dad, Finn was just leaving." I said, not removing the disdain from my voice at all.

He winced slightly when he heard the tone I was using, but I could care less at this point I just wanted Finn gone.

Both my parents knew that Finn and I broke up and they have been constantly nagging me about working things out with him, but I wasn't having it. Eventually they learned to just not bring the subject up anymore.

Finn stepped forward with a fake smile plastered all over his face.

"I just came over to see how Clarke was doing Jake, you know, since she doesn't return my phone calls anymore." One of his douchebag smiles stretch across his face as the last words left his mouth.

_**I hate that stupid fucking smile…** _

"Oh, okay kid. Well if you're leaving tell your old man that I'll see him bright and early Saturday morning for some fishing."

"I'll definitely let him know Jake." He then started to move down the stairs of the porch.

As he made his way past Lexa and I, he shot her a deadly glare and picked up his helmet to leave.

"See you guys later, I'll call you Clarke." He said this before he turned his back and started heading down the driveway and over to his motorcycle.

"Call all you want Finn. I won't answer." I said with finality.

He looked over his shoulder sneering at me. I could faintly make out the low growl rumbling in Lexa's chest as she watched Finn get on his bike and finally leaving.

Dad rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the two of us.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all." he mumbled.

I felt kind of bad that he had to come home to that argument and immediately went to apologize to him.

"Sorry... Finn just showed up unannounced and things got a little heated when he started pressuring me for answers about our break up again. It got even more out of hand when Lexa showed up."

_**Oh shit Lexa!** _

I felt like a complete asshole for not introducing her. I turned around and grabbed her hand to tug her in front of me to introduce them.

"Dad, this is Lexa Woods. Her and her family just recently moved here. Lexa this is my father Jake Griffin, Chief of Police."

Lexa moved forward with an outstretched hand, "It is very nice to meet you sir," she said in that endearing precise way she likes to speak. I also noticed that her eyes were once again honey gold.

"No need to be so formal Lexa, Jake is just fine. Besides, I've already met your father at the station, seems he's our new prosecutor, great guy."

Lexa shot my Dad one of her warm smiles, and I got a little jealous.

_**Really Clarke?** _

"So what do you kids have planned for today?"

I looked over to Lexa in an effort to gauge if she still wanted to hang out with me after encountering my insane ex. She looked at me encouragingly and gestured for me to answer my father.

"Lexa and I were actually going to head down to the beach for a while and I might show her around town since she really doesn't know where anything is." I couldn't remove the excited tone that coated all of my words as I relayed our plans for the evening.

He smiled at us both and nodded.

"Well I won't keep you girls, I only came home to pick up a few things, I'll be working late tonight if your mom didn't tell you already. So you don't have to worry about dinner, me and the boys down at the station plan on ordering some pizzas."

I gave him a skeptical and amused look. "Does mom know about your dinner plans?"

He winced and I let out a loud laugh.

"No, she doesn't and we'll be keeping this between you and me."

He tried to ruffle my hair as he walked past us into the house but I was able to bat his hand away before he could do any damage.

"It was nice meeting you Lexa, keep Clarke out as long as you want. She's been cooped up in the house for the last month an-"

I cut him off immediately.

"Thanks Dad!" I shouted this as I threw my bag into the house, it landed at the bottom of the steps. He laughed as he continued down the hall leading to the kitchen.

"It was nice meeting you too Jake and I'll make sure Clarke has some fun."

I then pulled the door closed and let out a sigh of relief once I'd successfully put a barrier between Lexa's ears and my Dad's mouth.

When I turned to fully look at Lexa her happy expression morphed into a more somber one.

"What's wrong?" I asked her as a moved in a little closer.

_**Why can't I keep my distance from her?** _

She raised her eyes from the floor and looked into my eyes; the amount of guilt and regret that I could see swirling in hers was a little heartbreaking.

"I should apologize Clarke... I did not mean to react like that; I know that what was going on between you and Finn was none of my business, but when I saw him put his hands on you I just reacted. Please accept my apology."

I was a little shocked that she thought she had to apologize especially when in my eyes she did nothing wrong.

"Lexa, you don't need to apologize for coming to my defense. I appreciate what you did, and I actually should be thanking you. I didn't feel completely comfortable being here alone with him." I said all of this with the greatest amount of honesty I was capable of.

She looked deeply into my eyes as if she was searching for something, then she reached out for my hand with her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Well in that case I am happy I got here when I did, before anything happened." She whispered the last bit and I almost didn't catch it. Before I could ask her what she meant she started tugging me down the steps and over to her car parked on the street.

Lexa opened the passenger door for me and waited until I was seated before she closed the door and walked around the front of the car to the driver's side.

Once she was seated behind the wheel she turned the car on and we pulled away from the curb.

"So Clarke, tell me something about yourself."

"I'm a relatively boring person so there isn't much to tell. What would you like to know?" I asked her as I glanced to my left to look over her profile from the passenger seat.

"Anything and everything," she said almost breathlessly.

I blushed at that and hid it behind a couple layers of hair that had fallen down into my face.

_**Stop being so shy Griffin, you like her, and it looks like she likes you too. Grow a pair!** _

Once I got over my brief bout of shyness I relaxed into my seat and told her all about my Dad, my Mom, and my childhood. By the time I was done talking I noticed that we were parked at the beach already.

_**How long have we been here and how long was I talking?** _

Lexa had a brilliant smile on her face when I pulled my gaze from the car window and fixed it on her.

"It sounds like you had a very enjoyable childhood Clarke. Many people are not as lucky." I saw the somber expression return to her features and I immediately tried to erase it, not liking how it marred her beautiful face.

"Do you want to get out and go for a walk on the beach with me?" I asked her hopefully.

She looked almost relieved and nodded before opening her door to get out.

Before I could unbuckle my seatbelt and open my own door it was being pulled open by a happier looking Lexa.

_**Strange… How did she get over here so fast? Maybe I've just been spacing out a lot today.** _

I shrugged this off and stepped out of the car.

We walked down the beach in silence for a while, but it didn't feel strained or awkward. It was beautiful out here the fog coverage hanging in the air made the atmosphere around us feel completely calming, even with the turbulent tide washing up onto the sand and rock covered banks.

I used this opportunity to go over everything that had happened today. I found that the majority of my day revolved around Lexa and thinking about Lexa…

I started to think about how strange it was that I was so drawn to her. This eventually lead to me thinking about all the other strange little things she does or that happen while she's around me.

Like how her eyes seem to change color every now and then, how she seems to appear out of nowhere sometimes, the animalistic growling…

_**And what was up with that whole thing between her and Finn?** _

As I replayed the fight in my head I was reminded of how terrifying Lexa's growling was and how Finn had become so upset and agitated with her arrival. He looked ready to kill her and they had never even met before.

_**And then Finn referred to her as a parasite... What exactly was that supposed to mean?** _

I was getting ready to ask Lexa some of the questions that I'd been mulling over but when I looked at her she smiled that warm smile of hers that makes me swoon and I kind of lost my train of thought.

"Would you like to take a seat with me?"

I nodded because I was currently unable to form a coherent sentence without sounding like an idiot.

We found a huge piece of driftwood down the beach a bit. I followed her lead taking a seat on the makeshift bench, not even realizing how close I'd chosen to sit next to her.

We both looked out at the roaring ocean for a while before I turned to look at her. Mustering up all of my confidence for the question I was getting ready to ask.

"Lexa, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

She shifted her body so that she was facing me while straddling the driftwood we were sharing. She tentatively picked up my right hand in both of hers, staring down at them before looking up at me giving me a gentle and encouraging smile.

"What's going on between us?" I asked looking into her golden eyes, then to our joined hands as if to point out what I was referring to.

She didn't respond immediately which worried me, but when she didn't let go of my hand I took it as a good sign.

"What do you mean Clarke?" She asked me in a calm and steady voice.

"Please don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You have to know, this can't be normal. We only just met, but I feel so drawn to you… I've never felt like this with anyone before." I looked into her eyes they were sparkling with understanding and relief. I could even see a small hint of insecurity hidden away there.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asked quietly while keeping eye contact with me. If I wasn't sitting so close to her I probably wouldn't have heard what she said.

I didn't even need to think about it before I answered. "It's a good thing… definitely a good thing."

Her eyes brightened up as soon as the words left my mouth and she gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"I believe it is a good thing as well Clarke."

She continued to gaze into my eyes as if she was looking for reassurance about something. She must have found what she was looking for because a small smile graced her lips and her shoulders relaxed a little.

"Clarke, I want to tell you something... but first I need you to promise me that you won't freak out and you will let me finish explaining everything before you react. Can you do that?"

I immediately nodded. For some reason I knew that no matter what she told me I would be able to handle it without freaking out. I knew it was supposed to be a strange feeling because Lexa was essentially a stranger, but ever since this morning I've been feeling more and more comfortable around her.

_**She is a stranger that I desperately want to know…** _

"Yeah, I can do that." I said injecting as much confidence as I could into the statement.

I braced myself for what kind of felt like a major turning point in my life. I just had this feeling that after she told me nothing would ever be the same for me again.

**A/N:**

**Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. Next time we will shortly revisit the events on Clarke's porch through Lexa's point of view, then pick up right where we left off here and move into more exciting events.**

**Let us know what you think and please point out any mistakes that we both may have missed.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

**Another chapter for you all. Beta reviewed by the awesome Lupa1208. It's a tad longer than normal because we are doing a recap of the previous chapters' events from Lexa's POV and I wanted to give you guys a little something new to tide you over till I get the next chapter up. Things will begin to progress fairly quickly for a bit after the next chapter and I am really excited for you to see what happens once I edit some more.**

**It's been awhile since I did a disclaimer so…**

**I own nothing, The 100 and all its characters belong solely to The CW and all other parties involved with the show. I only own my original ideas and any character I create in the course of this story. Also be warned that this story will eventually contain graphic descriptions of violence and sexually explicit material between two females characters of consenting age, if you shouldn't be reading it, don't. If you're in the right place, proceed, and enjoy.**

**Chapter 7**

**(Lexa's POV)**

I was just finishing up with my hunt when I decided to text Clarke and see if she was home from school and ready for me to pick her up. After I pulled my phone out of my pocket I sent her a quick message.

_Hello Clarke,_

_My meeting with my Father ended early_

_if you're home from school already_

_I can come pick you up now._

_Let me know._

_-L_

The meeting with Callie and Marcus did not go as long as I had originally expected it to and my hunt was quick so I was running a little ahead of schedule.

I sat down on a large downed tree deciding on a short meditation with Heda while I wait for her response. I closed my eyes and relaxed my mind as I felt the familiar tingling in my eyes that started to spread to the back of my head.

_**(Meditation Chamber)** _

_**Heda: Something is wrong.** _

_She was pacing and growling again._

_**Lexa: What is it Heda?** _

_**Heda: She is distressed.** _

_**Lexa: Who is distressed?** _

_I could feel the quick heavy vibrations of Heda's feet as she closed in on me in the center of the chamber._

_**Heda: Do not be obtuse Vassal! Our mate is calling out to me.** _

_I could not figure out what she meant and waited until she moved further back into the shadows before I offered my response._

_**Lexa: You can sense her emotions?** _

_She didn't respond right away, instead choosing to pace a full circle around the chamber before speaking._

_**Heda: At first I was not sure it was her, this should not be possible over distance.** _

_**Lexa: Can you sense if she is in danger?** _

_Heda huffed in annoyance before responding._

_**Heda: I cannot tell, the feeling is dim… distorted… something is wrong. Go to her!** _

_In front of me I could once again see her bright red eyes, they almost looked frantic._

_**Lexa: But I don't underst—** _

_**Heda: Now Vassal!** _

_And just like that I was once again forced out of the chamber as her eyes lit up my surroundings in blinding red light._

_**(Exit)** _

As soon as I came out of my meditation an earth shattering growl crawled up from the depths of my being and shot out of my mouth. I could feel that my eyes were already black and the rage that boiled inside me was unfathomable, I knew immediately that it originated from Heda.

My feet tore into the ground as I made a beeline back towards the house, not even bothering to check if Clarke responded to my text message.

_**I have to get to her...** _

Running directly to Clarke's house would have been much quicker but it was still daylight and I couldn't risk being seen by any of the humans. My vampire vision would be of no help right now with the way my emotions are running since they are being fueled by Heda so I wouldn't be able to look ahead for any humans in the area.

I made it back to the house in under a minute and tore into the garage before getting in my car.

I was racing towards Clarke's house going well above the speed limit and that still didn't seem fast enough.

_**Fuck.** _

I pushed my car even harder as I drew closer to her house. When I made the turn onto her street I felt the tugging increase in my chest again.

_**That has to be a good sign… Would the feeling still be there if she were dead?** _

When I got close enough to her house I could see her car parked in the driveway and when I looked over to the porch I saw that she was not alone. There was a boy sitting on her porch that I did not recognize him as one from the high school.

I stopped my car by the curb and jumped out after opening the door. As soon as I came into contact with the air outside the car I immediately recoiled and it felt like Heda was scratching at my insides while a steady growl built in my chest.

The air outside the car smelt like a mixture of wet dog, garbage, and shit…

_**What the hell is that smell?!** _

Then it dawned on me I'd encountered this smell once before when we came across a pack of wolf shifters in the amazon and I knew immediately that there was a shifter close by.

I whipped my head around and from the new angle I could see that Clarke was talking to the large boy on the porch.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" her tone showed that she was clearly not happy with whoever this person was.

The boy's face twisted up giving off the impression that he was offended by her question.

By now I had surmised that the retched smell was coming from the boy sitting before Clarke and Heda's growling intensified yet again.

Upon closer inspection I could see and smell that the boy was most definitely a wolf shifter and an incredibly young one at that.

The boy's voice then broke me out of my thoughts.

"What? I need a reason to come visit my  _girlfriend_  now?" he said it in an almost mocking tone and Heda and I both recoiled at the insinuation.

_**How dare this filthy Dog try to lay claim to My Mate?!** _

Rage began to boil again as I slowly walked around my car while still keeping my eyes fixed on them.

Clarke clearly was not impressed with his condescending attitude.

"We've been through this Finn, we aren't together anymore. I broke up with you over a month ago. How is it that you conveniently forget this every time I see you?"

Clarke's declaration that they were not in a relationship did little to calm my ever growing anger.

_**He's standing too close to her.** _

I watched as the boy stood from his seated position on the top porch and his frame towered over Clarke's weaker human body. It seemed that because the wind was blowing towards me this Finn boy was not aware of my presence yet as his gaze was fixed solely on Clarke.

She took a few steps back and Heda immediately recognized the brief bout of fear that Finn's threatening stature induced in Clarke and she clawed at me to kill the _dog_ , the threat to  _Our Mate_.

Suddenly Finn hollered out. "What is your malfunction Clarke?! You know that we belong together; there is no one out there that could come close to being as good for you as I am! Why are you fighting it?!"

I could sense her discomfort with this entire situation and it was taking every ounce of my control not to lash out and kill this foul smelling mutt. I knew I couldn't do that, not in this very public neighborhood where anyone could see at least.

_**He needs to back away from her. I don't know how much longer I can hold off…** _

"I want you to leave Finn. I refuse to have this idiotic conversation with you again." I could hear the defiance in Clarke's voice when she said this and I felt proud of her.

"No." he growled out, crossing his shaking arms over his chest not moving from where he stood blocking her way.

_**Oh, this boy is really asking for it…** _

Clarke found some confidence and stepped closer to him. "Excuse me?" she hissed out.

He locked eyes with her, "You heard me Clarke, I'm not leaving this porch until you tell me what your problem is and you take me back."

"Well you'll be standing out here for a real long time because there's nothing wrong with me and there's no way in hell I would ever take you back. Especially not after this display of idiocy."

When Clarke made an attempt to walk around him and up the stairs he used his right hand and wrapped it around her small fragile upper arm in a firm grip meanwhile pulling her body closer to his.

Something was snapping inside me… Heda was deadly quiet and my black eyes fixed themselves on where that soon to be dead fuck's hand was connected to  _my_  mate.

While my eyes were fixed on him he whispered into her ear.

"I'm not done talking to you Clarke."

My Beast did not ask permission to let loose the growl that I felt raging through my chest.

_**I'm going to fucking end him for touching her…** _

I could feel both of their gazes shift to my trembling and growling form at the end of the driveway. I growled and bent my knees preparing to pounce on him and rip him to pieces.

When I shifted my eyes up to Finn's face I heard Clarke gasp beside him and when my eyes flickered over to her I could see a brief hint of fear and it made me rethink my plan for fear of hurting her.

"Get your filthy hands off of her mongrel." I growled out in a low and threatening voice.

Realization finally dawned on the  _dog_  as his eyes looked me over, his nostrils flared and his face screwed up in revulsion and rage.

"It's none of your business what I do with  _my_  girlfriend parasite." He sneered out at me.

As the last word left his mouth I flashed over to Clarke's side and glared up at him.

"I suggest you let go of her before I make it my business pup."

We continued to glare daggers into each other as I heard the faint sound of a car coming down the street in the background.

I didn't break eye contact with the mutt as my heightened senses picked up the presence of another human who smelt faintly like Clarke.

When Finn clued into the other human being present he released Clarke's arm and took a few steps away from her. I immediately took two steps forward and placed myself directly between them.

"What's all this?" I heard a confused gravelly voice ask.

Clarke spoke up quickly, "Nothing Dad, Finn was just leaving." Her voice dripped with unrestrained disgust.

Finn stepped forward and addressed Clarke's Father as if she hadn't spoken at all.

"I just came over to see how Clarke here was doing Jake, you know, since she doesn't return my phone calls anymore." He flashed Clarke's Father a creepy smile that made me want to punch him in the face.

Jake shrugged, "Oh, okay kid. Well if you're leaving tell your old man that I'll see him bright and early Saturday morning for some fishing."

I took this time to calm myself down as I looked over Clarke's Father and I noticed that they looked a lot alike.

"I'll definitely let him know Jake." Finn said as he made his way past Clarke and I, shooting me a deadly glare. He then made his way down the porch steps after picking up his helmet.

"See you guys later, I'll call you Clarke."

_**Like hell… Just leave and unburden me of your wretched smell.** _

Clarke surprised me when she responded to his statement.

"Call all you want Finn. I won't answer." I almost laughed.

He looked over his shoulder sneering at her and I let out a low growl once again as I watched him get on his bike riding off down the street.

Clarke's Father then rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, "Well, that wasn't awkward at all."

She walked down to the bottom of the steps and stood in front of him.

"Sorry... Finn just showed up unannounced and things got heated when he started pressuring me for answers about our break up again. It got even more out of hand when Lexa showed up."

She then suddenly whirled around and raced back up the stairs to grab my hand and tug me towards her father. I immediately relaxed when her hand made contact with mine and she held on tight, well as tight as a human could that is.

"Dad, this is Lexa Woods. Her and her family recently moved here. Lexa this is my father Jake Griffin, Chief of Police."

I stretched out my free hand to shake his.

"It is very nice to meet you sir." I said in an even respectful tone. The remnants of the encounter with the wolf shifter finally started to fade away, now that I knew Clarke was safe.

"No need to be so formal Lexa, Jake is just fine. Besides, I've already met your father at the station, seems he's our new prosecutor, great guy."

Jake looked between the two of us and then down at our still joined hands before asking, "So what do you kids have planned for today?"

Clarke gave me a meaningful look as if asking if we were still going to hang out and I smiled at her and gestured for her to answer her Father.

"Lexa and I were actually going to head down to the beach for a while and I might show her around town since she really doesn't know where anything is." She sounded so excited as the words left her mouth.

Jake smiled at us both and nodded.

"Well I won't keep you girls, I only came home to pick up a few things, I'll be working late tonight if your mom didn't tell you already. So you don't have to worry about dinner, me and the boys down at the station plan on ordering some pizzas."

Clarke smirked at him, amusement written all over her face.

"Does mom know about your dinner plans?"

She let loose a beautiful little laugh when Jake winced.

"No, she doesn't and we'll be keeping this between you and me."

I smirked as he made his way up the stairs.

"It was nice meeting you Lexa, keep Clarke out as long as you want. She's been cooped up in the house for the last month an-"

Before he could finish his sentence Clarke was cutting him off with a panicked voice.

"Thanks Dad!" she shouted as she threw her bag into the house, it landed at the bottom of the steps and Jake laughed as he walked inside.

Clarke was about to pull the door closed so I took the quick opportunity to say bye to him.

"It was nice meeting you too Jake and I'll make sure Clarke has some fun."

Once she had the door closed she breathed a sigh of relief, I could still hear Jake chuckling on the other side of the heavy door.

When Clarke turned to look at me I was suddenly awash with guilt and regret. I didn't want her to see me like that before I even had the chance to tell her what I am and what she is to…

"What's wrong?" she asked me gently as she moved closer.

I slowly raised my head and looked at her and all I could see in her eyes was concern.

"I should apologize Clarke... I did not mean to react like that; I know that what was going on between you and Finn was none of my business, but when I saw him put his hands on you I just reacted. Please accept my apology?"

_**Please don't be afraid of me…** _

"Lexa, you don't need to apologize for coming to my defense. I appreciate what you did, and I actually should be thanking you. I didn't feel completely comfortable being here alone with him."

I looked into her eyes deeply; searching for truth in her words, when I found no hesitancy and no fear I reached out for her hand with my own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Well in that case I am happy I got here when I did, before anything happened." I whispered.

Before she could ask me anything else I started tugging her down the steps and over to my car parked on the street.

I opened and closed her door for her before taking my own seat inside, and within the next few seconds we were on our way to the beach.

I felt that this was the best time to get to know my mate better so I decided to ask her more about herself.

She blushed when I asked her, hiding behind her hair while muttering that she was a pretty boring person, but asking me what I wanted to know anyway.

I told her everything and anything, so after taking a few deep breaths she started to tell me about her parents and childhood. It all sounded very suburban and quaint and I knew that it fit my mate perfectly.

With the windows rolled up and the two of us cramped into the small space of the car all I could smell was Clarke and Heda and I were completely at peace.

While she was talking we had reached the beach and I simply turned the car off and sat facing her listening to her beautiful alto voice recount childhood memories.

When she was done telling me everything she wanted me to know I smiled at her trying to convey as much warmth and care as I could in the gesture.

"It sounds like you had an amazing childhood Clarke, a lot of people aren't that lucky."

I wondered if my human childhood was a little like hers. What memories I was able to retain after the change have almost faded by now, the only ones that remain vivid are those surrounding both Lincoln and I and  _her_ …

Clarke broke me out of my haunted thoughts a short while later.

"Do you want to get out and go for a walk on the beach with me?" she asked me hopefully.

I nodded and exited the car before flashing over to the passenger side to open her door.

_**No point in really going out of my way to hide my vampire mannerisms anymore. Something tells me that she is already extremely suspicious and she will be asking for answers. I am not going to lie to her.** _

We walked down the beach for a while in glorious silence. I love the weather in this town, a lot of people get depressed in overcast, foggy, and rainy weather like this but besides being a vampire that really needs to live in this climate I have always loved it and never felt trapped by it.

While I was enjoying the silence I could almost hear Clarke thinking, but for some reason I wasn't scared about her finding out anymore, I was more resigned to it.

I could feel a shift in her and I knew she was getting ready to launch into her questions. So I smiled and gestured to a large piece of driftwood to our right further away from the water.

"Do you want to take a seat with me?"

She nodded and walked over to the piece of wood I had gestured to.

Clarke looked over at me intensely and I knew this was it.

_**Okay Lexa, you can get through this, everything will be okay…** _

"Lexa, can I ask you something?" she began timidly.

"Of course you can." I shifted my body so that I was facing her while I straddled the driftwood we were sitting on. I tentatively picked up her right hand in both of mine and stared down at them before looking up into her eyes and giving her a gentle and encouraging smile.

She paused, looking at our joined hands, "What's going on between us?"

I didn't respond immediately.

"What do you mean Clarke?" I asked her in a calm and steady voice, wanting to be sure of her intentions as far as the progression of this conversation is concerned.

"Please don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You have to know, this can't be normal. We only just met, but I feel so drawn to you… I've never felt like this with anyone before." she then looked into my eyes searching for answers.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I whispered keeping eye contact with her my insecurities making a brief appearance.

She immediately responded, "It's a good thing …definitely a good thing."

I brightened up as soon as the words left her mouth and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I believe it is a good thing as well Clarke." I replied happily feeling a portion of the weight lift off of my shoulders.

I continued to gaze into her eyes looking for reassurance so that I could continue.

"Clarke, I want to tell you something... but first I need you to promise me that you won't freak out and you will let me finish explaining everything before you react. Can you do that?" I asked her in an almost desperate tone.

She nodded without hesitation. Her trust in me gave me the confidence I needed to carry out this conversation.

"Yes, I can do that." she said confidently.

"I'm drawn to you Clarke… I know that we have only just met, but I cannot help the way I feel towards you. I know that I need you in my life and I can feel that you need me too."

I looked into her eyes and I could see that she agreed with my last statement.

"From the moment we touched in class this morning I knew that I had to get closer to you, I had to get to know you better." It was getting easier and easier to let it all out once I got started. "Would it bother you if I told you that we were meant to be together?"

She thought about it for a brief second before she replied.

"No, it wouldn't bother me because I feel the same way… I don't understand this Lexa, it's not normal for two strangers to feel this way so quickly. And I feel like you know what's going on, but you're not telling me."

She placed her hand under my chin and lifted it up so that she was looking into my eyes. "I've already told you that you can tell me anything. I won't freak out or get angry, I promise."

_**I'm just going to go for it.** _

"Clarke, I'm not who you think I am or rather, I'm not  _what_  you think I am…"

She continued to stare into my eyes, her gaze holding no judgment whatsoever.

Minutes passed before I built up the courage needed to form my next sentence.

"I'm a vampire Clarke."

Silence.

She continued to gape at me.

"This isn't a joke is it?" she asked me hesitantly.

"No Clarke, I am quite serious."

After a few long drawn out moments she finally began to speak again.

"I should be afraid but, I'm not. Why am I not afraid?" she seemed genuinely confused and I could not sense any fear in her at all.

_**How could she be so accepting?** _

Just as I was getting ready to answer her question I felt Heda's agitation return with a swiftness.

I immediately scented the air around me, pulling deep draws trying to find the danger that Heda was sensing. After about 3 seconds the distinct foul smell of wolf shifter became apparent. When I turned around I noticed Clarke looking at me curiously, but I didn't have time to explain everything to her. I couldn't afford to have another encounter with a shifter with her in close proximity.

She snapped me out of my thoughts, "Lexa what's-"

"A small problem might be heading our way, I will explain everything to you, but right now I have to get a hold of one of my family members."

I pulled out my phone as I quickly decided who to call. Lincoln was the obvious choice because of his ability so I called his cell first.

I waited for him to pick up and once he did I quickly explained my situation to him and told him where we were, all of this at a speed that only a supernatural would have been able to understand.

Lincoln told me he was on his way and reminded me to keep my temper in check until he got here.

I hung the phone up and returned all of my attention to Clarke.

"I know that we've only just now scratched the surface of what is going on between us Clarke but I need you to trust me right now. Can you do that?"

She gazed at me with wide eyes before nodding her head.

"I need to hear you say it Clarke, please." My voice taking on a desperate tone. The smell of shifter was getting closer.

She took a deep breath, composed herself and looked into my eyes. "Yes Lexa, I trust you."

Just as she said this I noticed that the shifter scent was exponentially stronger than what I had experienced earlier with Finn.

_**There's more than one of them…** _

"Please stay behind me Clarke."

I felt her stand as I stood from the piece of driftwood that we had been occupying and shift her body to stand directly behind me.

Finn and three other shirtless boys emerged out of the woods and started making their way threateningly down the beach towards us. They were coming from the direction my car was parked, so it was already too late for us to just leave.

_**I really don't need this right now... I hope Lincoln gets here soon, because this is going to result in a nasty confrontation.** _

"This is the parasite I was telling you about Wells." Finn said gesturing towards me.

Finn was standing slightly behind the one he called Wells. Another smaller boy was standing next to Finn and he was glaring at me as if I had done something to him personally. His hands were already balled up into fists and his body was shaking with unmasked hatred.

"Miller! Cool it, now!" Wells growled out to the boy. He visibly shook at the sound of Wells' voice and took a step back beside the final boy who was standing to the back of the pack and the smallest of the four.

Wells returned his attention to me and glanced at Clarke who was still standing behind me. I shifted my feet, not comfortable with him looking at my mate.

_**He better stay exactly where he is…** _

"Who are you? What are you doing here and why are you with this girl parasite?" His voice was powerful and deep.

_**Who does he think he is? I'm not on their land, so where does he get off interrogating me like this?** _

"My name is Lexa Woods, and that is all the information you are going to get out of me  _mutt_. It is a free country and I am not on your land." I replied confrontationally.

Finn immediately opened his big trap to start arguing, "Answer him parasite and get away from Clarke!"

_**Here we go again but this time Jake isn't around to prevent this from escalating.** _

"She can make her own choices  _dog_  and she is  _choosing_  to stay away from you."

Just then I felt Clarke step up behind me and place her hand on the small of my back. A slight shiver ensued but I didn't let it show on my features and instead focused solely on the 4 young unpredictable shifters in front of me.

I did not like the feeling of them outnumbering me while I had Clarke here and the one Wells referred to as Miller seemed like he had little to no control over his temper. He was still practically foaming at the mouth ready to attack me.

"Wells, we can't allow this!" Finn hollered out like the little bitch he was quickly turning out to be.

"Know your place Collins, you do not order me around." Wells pinned Finn with a steely glare as he said this.

While he was distracted with Finn's apparent insubordination Miller had lost his patience and started to shake viciously as he hunched over.

Wells whirled around to see what was going on behind him. "Murphy, get a hold of him now and get him out of here!" He ordered gesturing at the smaller boy standing beside Finn.

Murphy backed away from Miller and put his hands up in defense, "I think it's too late for that man, he's gonna shift for sure."

_**If this idiot is the Alpha of the pack he is doing a piss poor job of controlling them.** _

Clarke grasped the back of my shirt tightly as she watched what was going on over my shoulder.

"Miller stop! Get yourself under control!" Wells tried to use the Alpha voice on him but it appeared that it was not working. Just then Miller's body exploded into a huge muscle ridden dark gray wolf the size of a small horse.

He charged towards me in an insane blast of speed and I only had time to turn around and scoop Clarke up into my arms, cradling her to my body bridal style as I jumped straight up into the air in an attempt to avoid the impending collision. This all happened before Clarke could even blink and once we were airborne I felt Miller's razor sharp teeth sink into the flesh of my right ankle pulling me back to the ground with brutal force. The pain barely registered I was more concerned with keeping Clarke away from Miller at all costs.

_**Shit, he's faster than I expected.** _

As I came crashing back to the ground I rolled my body to absorb as much of the impact as possible while trying to make sure Clarke was secure in my arms. When we landed, with me on my back and her on top of me, she let out a soft whimper and rolled off of my body clutching her torso.

I quickly jumped up and crouched down in front of my injured mate and that was when I heard the sound of Lincoln's Ducati down the street.

Once he pulled up next to my parked car and put down the kickstand to his bike he flashed over to me instantly stopping right at my side and placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Calm down Lex, Clarke will be okay." Lincoln tried to reassure me as I kept my blackened eyes glued to the giant gray wolf standing directly across the sand from me.

I could feel Lincoln releasing a heavy dose of calming emotions into the air and my shoulders started to slump gradually and I immediately turned around bending down beside Clarke who was still clutching at her ribs gingerly.

I ran my eyes over her body looking for injuries and when I could not find any visible ones I looked back to her face and her eyes were open as she gazed up at me.

"You're really fast." Was all she said, and I smiled sadly at her gesturing to the area she was holding.

"Obviously not fast enough… I am so sorry Clarke, are you alright?" I asked her my anger towards the wolves started to build again when I remember that they were at fault for my mate getting hurt.

"I'm okay Lexa. I probably just bruised a few ribs or something. I'm a clumsy person, so I'm used to these kinds of injuries."

"Still, I should ha-"

She didn't give me a chance to finish. "I'm fine Lexa, stop worrying." She gave me a reassuring smile.

_**She's so strong… She just found out that I'm a vampire and her ex-boyfriend and his friends are wolves, not to mention being attacked by one of them and she's the one offering me reassurance.** _

I felt a sudden rush of pride at having such a strong minded mate and when I looked up at Lincoln he gave me an encouraging smile while he was still standing guard over us observing our interaction and keeping an eye on the wolves at the same time.

He then turned his full attention on the wolves standing across from us who seemed to also be feeling the effects of his ability.

In his calm voice, while he continued to pump calming emotions into the air, Lincoln addressed Wells who he had quickly surmised was the Alpha of the pack.

"I think that it is time that we all go our separate ways before one of us does something to break the turf agreement. There is no sense in us fighting and risking causing harm to an innocent human." He held Wells' gaze as he said this and the boy glanced over at Clarke before turning to his pack.

"It's time to go... Miller go blow off some steam and meet me back at my place when you're done." He gave Miller, who was still in his wolf form, a warning look before the wolf lowered his head and ran off into the forest away from the beach.

Wells then addressed the rest of his pack.

"We're leaving."

As he started to leave Finn grabbed his arm and Wells leveled him with a death glare.

"Are you challenging your Alpha Collins?" He asked in a threatening voice.

Finn looked as if he was going to say yes for a split second and as the fire in his eyes died out he lowered his hand and Wells gave him one last look before he walked off towards the tree line with Murphy following behind him.

Finn hung back and fixed us with a hard stare.

"Don't think this is over bloodsuckers, we'll be watching you and as soon as one of you slips up my pack. Trust me, I will take pleasure in ripping you all to shreds."

After sparing a glance at Clarke, he turned on his heels and ran off into the woods.

"This day has just been full of surprises..." Clarke mumbled out.

She attempted to stand up and I was quick to assist her. As soon as she was back on her feet and I had my arm wrapped securely around her waist I looked over to Lincoln.

I asked him to call Callie and get her to meet us at home so that she could take a look at Clarke. Taking her to the emergency room would result in too many questions about how she got her injury, especially since she already mentioned that her Mother is a doctor in town.

Lincoln nodded and I turned back to Clarke.

"Can I carry you to the car? It would be faster."

She nodded and gave me a small smile.

I scooped her up into my arms gently, "I promise that we are going to talk about all of this, I know everything is happening really fast but I just need to make sure that you are okay first. Is that alright?"

She gave me a genuine smile and nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck as I took off back up the beach towards the parking lot.

When we made it back to the car I had Clarke seated comfortably in seconds and I tore out of the parking lot heading towards the house to get her looked at.

**A/N:**

**I hope that was acceptable, let us know what you think of the story so far. I should be updating again by the end of the weekend or early next week.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**(Clarke's POV)**

Lexa was silent on the drive to her house and this left me with ample time to really think about everything that had been revealed to me today. I was in no way upset, repulsed, or afraid of her being a vampire even though I knew that I should be on some level. Those emotions just weren't surfacing and somewhere deep down I knew that it was okay, that this was right.

The revelation that Finn was a werewolf or whatever he actually is made a lot of things make sense. It explains why he changed so much over the last year and if Miller's behavior was anything to go by it also explained his short tempered nature during the months leading up to our break up.

At this point I couldn't be happier that I had ended things with him. Not only did I escape being in a relationship with someone whose temperament clashed so greatly with mine, but the break up also opened the door for Lexa.

I was in deep thought when the passenger door open and I turned to see Lexa staring at me with that same worried look on her face.

"I'm fine, you can stop worrying. Nothing bad happened. You protected me."

For some reason I felt like she needed to be my protector and in some way she felt like she failed at doing that, but in my eyes she did all that she could considering the situation. She was outnumbered and those assholes could have probably really hurt me if it hadn't have been for both her and Lincoln.

"Something bad did happen Clarke, your ribs are proof enough of that. I should have gotten you out of there sooner…" She lowered her eyes to the ground and it almost sounded like she was whimpering.

"Lexa, it's okay… I'm okay." I reached out of the car to grasp her hand in mine giving it a squeeze for reassurance.

Just as I was about to say something else I heard someone calling Lexa's name from the front door of her house. When I looked up I saw a man standing at the door with a gentle welcoming smile on his face.

"We better get inside before Raven comes out here to see what is taking so long." She smiled at me and gently tugged on my hand that was still firmly grasping hers.

When I stood to get out of the car I let out a gasp as my ribs started to burn due to the shift from sitting to standing.

Lexa noticeably stiffened beside me and her eyes started to darken a little. I tried to smile to relax her but her eyes lowered to my injured midsection and remained fixed there as she opened her arms for me to step into them.

It was odd, but once again I got this feeling that she needed to protect me and I surrendered to it, in hopes of offering her some form of comfort.

_**Something is definitely happening to me… I've never felt these kinds of urges before. It's all like second nature somehow.** _

I stepped into her arms, wrapping my own around her shoulders while she wrapped her left arm around my upper back and her right around my waist. I could feel the possessive undertone that the embrace created causing me to in contentment into her shoulder.

_**It feels good to have her arms around me like this…** _

Lexa nuzzled her head into the area where my neck connected with my shoulder and I could hear and feel her inhale deeply, almost as if she was sniffing me. I got a little self-conscious thinking that I smelt funny, when she felt me stiffen briefly she lifted her head and looked into my eyes.

"Sorry, I know that must have been strange… Your scent helps to calm me. I should have asked first though."

I held her closer to me and tightened my hold on her before she could pull completely away.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize. I just got a little self-conscious there; I thought I smelt bad or something."

She shook her head and smiled, this smile being the brightest one I'd seen since our conversation in the parking lot after school.

"Trust me Clarke you smell better than good to me…" her eyes darkened once again as she took a lingering look at my neck, and for some reason this turned me on which was a little shocking.

_**What the hell is wrong with me?! How am I getting turned from her just looking at my neck? Shouldn't I be worried? She's a vampire!** _

She sniffed the air around us and her eyes darkened again before she cleared her throat and averted them from my neck.

"Actually, your scent calls to me and helps to calm my Beast, but like I said back at the beach I'm going to explain everything to you. First I need Callie to check you out to make sure nothing is broken and that you do not have any internal bleeding."

I nodded to her and it was only then that I realized that the brunette man was still standing at the door watching us.

Lexa turned to him and gently tugged me over to the front door where he was standing smiling at us.

"Lexa, you're home early and I see you've brought company." The man's eyes shifted to me and for some reason I didn't flinch, I felt safe around him.

_**I'm starting to wonder if my self-preservation mechanism is broken or if it's just nonexistent…** _

"Marcus, this is Clarke Griffin. Clarke, my father Marcus Woods." Lexa shifted slightly out of the way as Marcus stepped forward and placed both of his hands on my shoulders gently. He smelt really good, like safety if it had a smell.

"Wonderful to meet you Clarke." he said and I could hear the smile in his voice.

He dropped his arms away from my shoulders and took a step back. When he looked over to Lexa they shared a knowing look before she let a small grin grace her features. I half expected her to start blushing.

When I shifted my eyes back to Marcus, he was already looking at me again, almost as if he was studying me.

"It's nice to meet you too Mr. Woods." I finally replied.

"Marcus is perfectly fine Clarke, I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other so no need to remain formal." He stepped aside and gestured for us to enter the house.

Lexa gave my hand a little tug to get my attention and I looked over to her.

"Would it be alright if I carried you inside? It will be easier than walking right now." She placed her free hand on my right side rubbing at it gently to try to relieve some of the discomfort with her cool touch.

I nodded my agreement before she scooped me up into her arms cradling me to her chest protectively, it all happened so fast and so smoothly I felt no discomfort in my ribs with the shift in position at all.

As we moved into the house I noticed a black Mercedes pulling up into the driveway but didn't get to see the driver before it was out of sight. Lexa walked further into the house and I couldn't help but be in awe of the gorgeous interior of their home. She followed Marcus into what appeared to be the living room. She gently set me down on one of the couches before taking a seat directly next to me.

A beautiful woman of Asian descent stepped into the living room and stood beside Marcus. She placed a kiss on his cheek before crossing the living room to stand in front of Lexa and I.

She placed her hand on Lexa's shoulder giving it a quick squeeze before looking over at me.

"This must be Clarke, how are you feeling dear?"

Her presence relaxed tension I wasn't even aware that I was feeling in the first place.

_**If she's doctor her bedside manner is on point.** _

"I've been better." I replied with a playful smile. I was really starting to ;feel better, the pain in my ribs had actually started to dissipate over the last 20 minutes. However, something told me that even if I told Lexa this she would still continue to worry herself into a stupor.

She chuckled a little and shifted her eyes to Lexa.

They shared a lingering look and it looked like the corners of their mouths were twitching before she turned her head back to me.

_**That's the same thing that happened between Lexa and Bellamy this morning…** _

"Clarke, I'm Callie, Lexa's mother. Would it be okay if I took a quick look at you to check for injuries?"

I looked over at Lexa, she just smiled and nodded her head.

"Sure, I don't mind. Do we need to go somewhere so we can do this?" I asked her, puzzled as to whether we were going to do this examination here in their living room with no equipment or anything.

"Lexa tells me that she's told you about us, am I correct?"

I glanced over at Lexa worried that I had gotten her into trouble or something. She was still wearing the same smile but I could see the worry for my safety lingering in her eyes. She gently squeezed my hand in hers encouraging me to answer.

"Yes, she's told me. I hope that was okay..." I looked over to Marcus who was seated on the couch opposite us to see his reaction. His expression didn't change as he continued to observe us.

"Not to worry Clarke, you would have found out one way or another. I'm sure Lexa hasn't had time to explain everything to you yet but I know she plans to. For now I can tell you that some vampires have gifts, not all vampires have them but a fair amount of us do. I detect injures, or malfunctions, in the human body and in the bodies of most supernaturals by only hovering my hands over the skin's surface"

I stared at her slack jawed.

_**Is she for real? If my mother ever found out about this she would have a field day.** _

"Is it okay if I examine you?"

I dumbly nodded my head as Callie moved forward and started to ghost her hands over my body starting from the top of my head down to my feet. She did this a few times before she stood up and offered me a reassuring smile.

"You aren't seriously injured. It looks like you have a few bruised ribs, they should be fine in a few days if you don't strain yourself too much."

She flashed out of the room and reappeared before my eyes in only seconds holding a small bottle.

_**Shit they're fast…** _

"I'm going to give you some ibuprofen for the pain. I also recommend icing the tender areas and taking it easy for the next couple of days."

I took the bottle from Callie's hand and gave her an appreciative look.

"Thank you, I'm glad that Lexa can stop worrying now."

When I looked over to her she looked relieved as she shifted her body even closer to mine.

Callie walked back over to where Marcus was sitting and he got up to stand beside her. She looked over to Lexa and I before speaking.

"Clarke, I hope you plan on staying for dinner. It's been a very long time since I've had the pleasure of actually cooking a meal and it would be my honor to do so for you."

_**How can I say no to that?** _

"That sounds great, thanks."

With that she and Marcus both exited the room to give Lexa and I some privacy. When I turned to look at her she was already gazing at me.

"Do you want to go up to my room to talk? Dinner will not be ready for a while, she's planning on going shopping right now. We don't usually keep food in the house."

I looked at her confused.

"So, you guys don't eat at all?"

She shook her head with a small smirk on her face.

"So, just blood then… like human blood?"

She suddenly realized what I was actually asking.

"My family and I only feed on the blood of animals, so you are completely safe here."

_**Not that I was really worried, it is good to know though…** _

I nodded and we sat there for a few more moments just staring at each other.

"So, do you want to go upstairs now so that we can have this 'talk'?" I asked her.

She didn't need to think hard on it and I was ready for some more answers so we both stood from the couch.

She opened her arms asking permission to pick me up so that I wouldn't have to climb the stairs, I immediately stepped into her embrace. The next second we were flashing upstairs and down a hallway stopping before a door with the name Alexandria on it in beautiful writing.

"Your full name?" I asked as I ran my finger along the raised writing.

"Yes, it sounds entirely too formal though, at least in this day and age. Everyone uses Lexa for the most part."

I nodded in understanding as she pushed the door to her bedroom open while still keeping me secure in her arms.

**(Lexa's POV)**

I opened the door to my bedroom and walked inside with Clarke still in my arms. I put her down on her feet before turning around to close the door behind us.

She began to look around the room and bathroom area. I decided to take a seat at the end of my bed and watch her explore.

"Your room is amazing... I really like how open it is, all this natural light makes it even better, it really fits you."

_**Glad you like it, because you'll be spending a lot of time in here.** _

Heda growled in agreement seemingly content to have Clarke so close to us.

"Thank you, if you need to use the toilet you will have to go across the hall to the full bathroom. Our bodies do not produce waste so I have no need for a toilet."

She nodded her head and went back to the task of exploring my bedroom. After she was satisfied that she had seen enough she took a seat on the end of the bed next to me.

After she was settled I turned slightly towards her so that we could start talking.

"How are you feeling? I mean about everything that has happened today?"

She turned towards me and took my right hand in hers.

"I keep waiting for the freaking out to start, but it's not coming. Somehow I just feel like that's okay... Like this is just how it's supposed to be."

She looks down at our joined hands and without looking up she takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"Lexa, I know this may sound crazy, even after everything that's happened today, but when I'm not around you I feel this intense tugging in my chest... Sometimes it's so bad that it's borderline crippling. I know that it has something to do with the way I feel about you because it doesn't happen when we're together."

I was a little shocked to say the least.

_**She couldn't possibly be feeling the effects of the Bonding so quickly, it's only been a few hours…** _

"I believe I might have an explanation for that. When a newborn vampire is created they are 'given'  _Five Potential Mates_  and of these five people who are born at random throughout the vampire's existence one of them will be that vampire's  _True Mate_."

I pause to allow her to take all of that in and understand the implications of my words. Before I could start speaking again Clarke looked up at me with a questioning expression on her face.

"Does this mean that I'm one of your  _Potential Mates_?" she asked timidly.

I offer her a small smile. "Yes, it does Clarke… Actually I believe that you are my  _True Mate_."

She was silent for a long moment while she thought about everything I said.

_**I feel like I'm taking her choice away by telling her all of this…** _

I heard Bellamy howl out my name from somewhere in the house.

_**Stay out of my head then!** _

"Do you feel the tugging in your chest when we are apart?" Clarke asked returning my attention fully to her.

"No actually, the feeling I get might be a reaction to the tugging that you feel."

She looked at me with a confused expression on her face, it made her look adorable...

"To explain it in an easier way, the tugging that you feel in your chest when we are apart does it feel as if a force is trying to pull something out of you?"

She nodded her head.

"Well the feeling I get is more akin to a gaping hole that acts as a vacuum, almost as if it is trying to pull something inside of me. It's what makes me believe you are my  _True Mate_  Clarke. Essentially, my soul is reaching out to yours and attempting to draw you in to make us one."

_**If she's feeling the effects of the bonding already, she must be my True Mate... Whatever makes her so different from other humans must be expediting this process even more.** _

"Does it happen like this for every vampire that finds their  _True Mate_?"

She is still holding my hand in hers as she starts to make small circles across my palm with the pad of her thumb.

Heda let out a satisfied growl at the gesture of comfort and it was starting to dawn on me that this is by far the most calm my Heda has been since the moment I opened my immortal eyes.

I am also starting to realize that Clarke is very curious and very intuitive. She seems to know all the right questions to ask. Unfortunately this particular question is one I can only partially answer because I'm not even sure if it has happened this quickly to anyone else before.

"It is very unusual for a human mate to feel the  _Draw_ this intensely and this quickly. It usually takes a few weeks at least if the human is the vampire's  _True Mate_  and up to four months if the human is only a  _Potential Mate_."

She looked up at me with wide eyes.

"You started to feel the Draw after only hours of us meeting-"

Clarke cut me off before I could continue.

"Actually I started feeling it the moment we parted ways after English this morning."

_**Are you kidding me? We'd only touched an hour before that. She started feeling it that soon?** _

She looked at me waiting for a response, but I was a bit speechless.

"Is it a bad thing?" she asked worry heavy in her voice.

"You don't need to worry, Callie, Marcus and I are going to try to figure out what it is about you that makes you so different from the average human. It may have something to do with the expedited bonding between the two of us. Clarke, my family and I have never come across a human like you before and we have all been around for a very long time."

She looked at me queerly, obviously wondering what about her makes her so different.

"Do you remember what Callie was saying downstairs about certain vampires having 'gifts'?"

She nodded her head.

"Well Bellamy, Octavia, Lincoln and I also have gifts. Bellamy can to read minds, Lincoln is an empath, and Octavia and I are what are known as  _Berserker's_. What makes you different from other humans is that when Bellamy and Lincoln try to use their gifts on you they seem to have a tendency to 'malfunction'."

I waited for her to take all of that in before I continued.

"Bellamy says that when he tries to listen in on your thoughts it is almost like he has a bad signal, your thoughts tend to drop in and out on him and Lincoln says that sometimes when he tries to feel your emotions he doesn't feel anything at all. There is also the fact that your blood smells a great deal better than any human we have ever encountered."

By the time I was finished explaining all of that to her she looked a little sullen.

"Clarke, is something wrong?" I used my free hand to tilt her head up by her chin so that I could look into her eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm defective." She said in a small voice.

_**Oh god no, I didn't mean to give her that impression...** _

I immediately corrected her. "You are not 'defective' if anything this just makes you a very special human, something more than human possibly. Like I said we will figure it out, it's nothing that you should worry about."

I looked deep into her eyes when I asked her the next question, "If I ask you something do you think that you can be completely honest with me?"

"Yes, of course I can Lexa." She says this without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"Do you feel like all of this is happening too fast, do you want me to slow things down a bit?"

Her grasp on my hand tightened a little and she hastily replied.

"No, like I said before I feel like this is how it's supposed to be and I don't want it any other way. I need to be close to you. Even closer than I am right now…"

"Good, I was hoping you would say that but I also want to go at your pace. Do you mind if I hold you for a while?" I'm not usually this shy but for some reason I feel shy asking her for this small comfort.

She nodded her head and pointed over her shoulder towards the head of the bed indicating that she wanted me to scoot back. I took off my shoes quickly before helping her slip her own off. Once that task was completed I scooted back on the bed until my back was flush against the short headboard.

Clarke followed me up the bed slowly so as not to agitate her bruised ribs. When she got closer she placed her hands on my knees pushing them apart so she could settle between them with her back against my chest.

_**Holy shit… She's so warm against me.** _

I immediately wrapped my arms gently around her midsection and began to purr like a damn house cat as Heda basked in the closeness of her mate.

Clarke tilted her head a bit to look at me.

"Sorry…" I said sheepishly. "Vampires have a tendency to purr when they are content. Having you in my arms triggered it."

"I like it." She said flashing me a bright smile that sent warm tingles all throughout my body.

As she began to relax fully into my body I start to wonder if my cooler temperature was making her uncomfortable in any way.

"Is my body too cold for you? I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"No, it's actually really relaxing and you make for a decent ice pack. Callie did tell me to ice my ribs, so…"

She unwrapped my arms from around her midsection and lifted up her shirt slightly before bringing my arms back around her resting them on her ribs, skin to skin…

My purring returned full force as she settled back into my body and sighed in content.

"Happy now?" I asked her resting my chin on her shoulder as her head fell back to rest against mine.

She sighed again, "Yes, very."

She closed her eyes and began to run her warm hands across my forearms.

We stayed in this position for a long while during which time we didn't speak, being perfectly happy with just being in each other's arms.

_**I could really get used to this…** _

Heda growled softly in agreement.

I took this time to listen in on the conversations going on around the house. Most of which were centered on the incident between myself and the shifter pack.

Bellamy and Raven sounded like they are about ready to encroach on the shifters' territory to start a fight but Marcus calmed them down telling them he feels the same way but that we should all talk about it as a family first and act rationally.

_**Always the level headed one, what would we do without him?** _

Clarke started to shift around in my arms and I helped her to turn around halfway so we can look at each other. As I gaze into her eyes I'm overcome by so much love that I'm almost convinced that Lincoln had something to do with it, but I can hear him downstairs trying to help Marcus calm everyone down.

I know what I want to ask her but I started to worry that it was too soon.

_**Why wait? I'm just going to go for it.** _

"Clarke, I know that this is moving really fast and we only just met but, I was wondering… if I could officially call you my mate?"

She didn't hesitate to answer and a slow smile started to grace her lips.

"Lexa, I was yours the moment we touched this morning and from everything you've told me so far probably from the moment I was born. I wouldn't want it any other way."

I smiled as I nuzzled my head into her neck as I took a deep long breath, pulling her scent into my body.

This time she relaxed into the gesture and didn't flinch or pull away.

I can feel Heda howling in joy at being accepted as Clarke's mate and I couldn't wait any longer.

I look up into her eyes, "Can I kiss you?"

She answered my request by leaning into me closing the small distance between our faces. I leaned in the rest of the way and seal our lips in our very first kiss.

_**Her lips are warm too, everything about her is just so warm and inviting…** _

The kiss started off soft and innocent but quickly escalated in intensity as Clarke released a soft moan. Heda's purr started to take on a more primal tone when I heard Clarke's moaning response to the intensity of the kiss.

In a surge of arousal and confidence I open my mouth slightly and ran the tip of my tongue along the seam of her lips begging for entrance.

I was slowly starting to pick up on the scent of Clarke's growing arousal as she opened her mouth to let me in. As my cooler tongue slipped into the warm cavern of her mouth I let out a loud moan of my own. Clarke responded by pulling one of her hands out from under her shirt and wrapped it around the back of my neck pulling me further into the kiss. Our tongues start to fight for dominance inside her mouth and the warmth of her mouth started to actually warm my own.

Our combined arousal started to permeate the air in my bedroom; I knew that if I didn't stop it would get out of hand and I could inadvertently injure her ribs even more.

So reluctantly I pull my tongue back into my own mouth and pulled away slightly resting my forehead against hers.

"I've wanted to do that all day long." I said as Clarke tried to catch her breath.

Once she was calm and she'd caught her breath she opened her eyes and looked into mine gasping at what she found.

She pulled her head away from mine quickly, "Lexa, your eyes are black. Are you upset, did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head at her worried questions.

"No, you did not do anything wrong... In fact I would go as far as to say that you were doing everything very right." I replied suggestively.

"The only other time that I've ever seen your eyes black like that was when you were having that encounter with Finn."

I realized what she was worried about and quickly corrected her, "A vampire's eyes will turn black when they are hungry or when they experience an intense emotion such as: anger, bloodlust or intense arousal…"

Realization dawns on her and she blushes a bright red looking down at her lap.

"So, just now …you were …uhm, enjoying what we were doing?" she stuttered out.

_**I can't get enough of the blushing and stuttering she's doing right now.** _

"Yes, very much so," I replied, "but we needed to stop before we got carried away. I don't want you to injure your ribs any more than they already are."

She seemed to have understood this but started to pout all the same.

"Don't worry, as soon as you're completely healed, we won't have to stop."

She perked up after hearing this and I chuckled as a smile slowly formed on her face.

I could smell the revolting human food cooking downstairs and knew that Callie was probably done making Clarke's dinner.

"I think we should head downstairs now. I can smell that Callie is done making your dinner."

"You guys have really sensitive senses huh?" she asked.

I nodded in response to her question and gently moved her forward so that I could get off of the bed and pull my arms out from under her shirt.

_**I didn't even realize they were still under there…** _

She groaned at the loss of contact. I turned to smile at her as I scooted off of the bed and offered her my hand to help her get up as well.

Once we are both upright I slip my shoes back on watching as she did the same before we began to make our way downstairs to the kitchen.

When we reach the bottom of the stairs I saw Marcus, Raven and Octavia sitting in the living room talking. I walked in with Clarke beside me and slipped my hand into hers, it was all like second nature as she grasped mine and gave it a firm squeeze.

As soon as Raven saw us standing in the doorway she shot up off of the sofa she was sharing with Octavia and started pumping her fist in the air.

"That was a wicked little make out session y'all had going on up there, too bad I forgot to set up that camera in your room Lexus, from the smell of it I bet it was  _hot_!"

Octavia promptly got up and smacked her in the back of the head. She winced and covered the area protectively.

"Jesus Beastmode! I was just kidding around. No need to get primitive."

Octavia smirked at her, "You're one to talk about primitive. Stop acting like a 12 year old and leave Lexa and her mate alone."

Raven actually looked scandalized by her comment.

"What the hell ever O? You're just acting all PG because we have company, you know like I know you were thinking the same damn thing." She finished her statement by childishly sticking her tongue out at Octavia who ignored her completely.

Raven directed her attention back to Clarke, "Anyway, I was going to introduce myself to you before I was rudely interrupted by the resident grouch. I'm Raven the black sheep of the family and only child for all intents and purposes." She pulled Clarke into a quick hug before releasing her.

Clarke seemed a bit confused at this so I decided to fill her in.

"Lincoln and I are actual siblings and so are Bellamy and Octavia. Raven likes to make herself feel special by saying she's an only child because of this."

"I don't need to make myself feel special Lexus, I am special. I'm the only one around here that doesn't have one of those freaky ass abilities meaning you won't ever have to worry about me invading your privacy Clarke. I can't speak for the rest of them though, they get all up in everyone's mix."

Clarke let out a low rumbling chuckle at Raven's antics and I could tell that the two of them were going to get along just fine.

"Why do you call her Lexus?" Clark asked in amusement.

_**Oh, here we go…** _

I rolled my eyes as Raven geared up to tell Clarke all about when I finally decided to start driving.

"Well, you see Clarke, that is actually a very hilarious story. For the longest time Lexa refused to be bothered with learning how to drive a car and about 25 years ago when the first Lexus came out O and I decided to buy her one and force her to learn how to operate it. Thing is Lexus here is heavy handed and footed in almost all things in life, so when she finally got behind the wheel she basically told O and I that our assistance wasn't needed and gunned the engine causing tires to screech and the car to race into the side of our house taking out the entire kitchen. Callie almost killed her, it was fantastic."

By the time she was done with her epic retelling of that unfortunate event she was bent over howling in laughter.

I looked over to Clarke and her face was bright red as she tried to contain her own laughter for the sake of my pride.

_**Good mate. Stupid Raven.** _

I huffed in annoyance as Raven finally calmed down and attempted to pull me into a good natured bear hug. I forcefully pushed her off of me causing her to fly back into the couch cushions.

"Are you done loud mouth?"

She just giggled at my annoyance and stretched out on the couch picking up an Xbox controller.

"Don't be mad Lexus, even you can't be perfect, no matter how many times Callie pats you on the head for being her favorite." She stuck her tongue out at me and I picked up a nearby pillow and threw it at her face causing her to drop the controller.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Marcus barely holding back a laugh and I heard Callie chuckling in the kitchen as well.

Octavia turned her full attention to Clarke. She crossed the room and held her hand out to my mate in greeting.

"Hello Clarke, I'm Octavia. It's nice to officially meet you."

Clarke looked a little taken aback. She was probably a little intimidated by Octavia, having had no encounters with her prior to this. Octavia isn't exactly the most approachable looking person and if you didn't know her very well she could sometimes come off as a bit terrifying.

After a moment of hesitation Clarke confidently extended her free hand to shake hers.

"Nice to meet you too Octavia." She said in steady voice.

O held on to Clarke's hand longer than necessary and continued to gaze into her eyes, when Clarke didn't avert her gaze or attempt to let go of her hand a smirk spread across Octavia's features. She finally let go and turned her gaze on me.

"I approve Lex. She makes a great mate for you."

I smiled my thanks to her, "Thanks O that really means a lot to me." I said genuinely because Octavia isn't known to be trusting or even cordial with strangers, ever.

I left the room with Clarke in tow before Raven could open her mouth again.

As we enter the kitchen I could see that Callie had just put down a plate of mushroom ravioli on the island in front of a stool for Clarke.

"Clarke dear, how are you feeling now?" She asked in a concerned motherly tone.

Clarke smiled at her before replying, "A lot better actually, Lexa iced my ribs for me and it feels a whole lot better now, thanks."

Callie smiled broadly while giving me a knowing look before gesturing for Clarke to take a seat on the stool in front of the food. I took the seat next to her leaving a bit of room so that she didn't feel too crowded while she ate.

I remembered reading somewhere that humans didn't like people hovering over them while they ate so I was trying to be respectful.

"I hope you like mushroom ravioli." Callie said as she waited for Clarke to take her first bite.

After she took a bite I watched as the fork slid back out of her mouth and her eyelids fluttered a little. She let out a quiet moan that I don't even think that she herself was aware of and Callie preened a little on the other side of the counter.

"This is amazing! If you guys don't eat food how did you make this taste so good?" she asked while going in for another bite.

Callie joked about Food Network being a valuable tool and having a natural knack for the task, to which Clarke moaned again in appreciation.

"Well in that case I should probably stop complaining every time my mom forces me to watch Iron Chef with her."

Callie chuckled as she walked around the island and placed her hand on Clarke's shoulder before leaning down and placing a soft kiss in her hair.

The gesture didn't incite jealousy in me like I thought it would, but instead I felt a rush of pride that my family has accepted my mate so quickly and so easily.

"I enjoyed cooking for you Clarke and I'm very happy that Lexa has found you. Welcome to the family dear."

She blushed a little as she nodded her head and Callie gazed at her with a loving smile on her face. She dropped a kiss in my hair as well before she left the kitchen to join Marcus, Raven and Octavia in the living room.

As I watched Clarke finish her meal I could hear Bellamy and Lincoln coming back into the house through the back patio door.

In a volume that Clarke wouldn't be able to register with her human ears I called out to them.

"Where are you two coming from?"

Bellamy was the one to respond, "Lincoln needed a hunt, it was a bit awkward for him to feel his sister's arousal being broadcasted all over the house."

Raven busted up laughing at this, I could even hear Octavia joining in.

"Laugh it up O, the next time you and my brother want to have loud smelly sex I hope he realizes the awkwardness I've had to endure for the last 3 centuries and he can control his ability so I don't have to leave the house as well."

Lincoln finally spoke up, "Sorry Lex but I'm not really sorry. Plus it wasn't just the smell of your arousal, Clarke's blood is apparently much more potent while aroused, that along with the emotions… Let's just say a large bear was needed."

If I could blush I would probably be doing it right now and if Clarke could hear this conversation she would be giving a tomato a run for its' money.

_**I did notice that too…** _

After Clarke finished eating Callie appeared back in the kitchen to take her plate from her to wash. Clarke offered to wash it herself since Callie was kind enough to cook for her when she didn't have to but she simply waved her off explaining that doing things like this allowed her to reminisce about her human days.

As we made our way back into the living room I could see that Clarke was trying to hold back a yawn. I looked down at my watch to see that it was almost 10pm and I suddenly remembered that tomorrow was a school day and humans needed their rest.

"Maybe we should head back to your house so that you can get some rest, tomorrow is a school day after all."

She looked like she wanted to argue with me but thought better of it when another yawn took over. She finally nodded her head and Callie came into the living room to say bye to her.

She gently wrapped her arms around Clarke telling her to come back soon. Octavia nodded at her with a soft smile. Lincoln and Bellamy were engrossed in Call of Duty but hollered out a 'see you later' just the same while Raven was wearing a mischievous smile on her face and I was suddenly worried about whatever she had planned.

As soon as she made to stand up from the sofa I interceded.

"No Raven, her ribs need to heal before she can withstand your shenanigans."

She started to pout like a child, "Ah damn! I just wanted to give her a little hug."

I laughed at her antics knowing full well what one her 'little hugs' were like.

"Raven your idea of a 'little hug' would surely injure Clarke's poor ribs further, you will have to wait."

She sunk back into the sofa and crossed her arms across her chest, pout firmly in place.

"Don't worry Raven, I'll be healed up soon enough, then I'm game for this hug of yours." Clarke said to her, causing Raven brighten up immediately. Octavia let out a chuckle keeping her eyes on the book she was reading.

"I'm gonna hold you to that promise princess!" she bellowed, her voice laced with excitement.

Clarke looked a little surprised at the new nickname but didn't say anything about it. She thanked Callie for taking a look at her ribs and said goodbye to Marcus before we made our way to the garage.

Once we are in the car I turned to look at her and ask one more time if she's okay with how fast everything was moving.

It seemed that she had finally had enough of my worrying and doubts because she put her hand over my hand on the gear stick, squeezed it firmly before pulling it into her lap.

"Alexandria Woods, listen to me. Please stop worrying so much. I'm fine and I have incredibly deep feelings for you. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not rejecting you. Just be with me like I want to be with you."

A huge wave of relief washes over me when she said this, I reached behind her with my free hand resting it gently on the back of her neck and pulling her closer to me for a brief kiss.

"Thank you. I won't doubt your feelings ever again."

Without opening her eyes Clarke replies, "Good."

I pulled the car out of the garage and started heading over to her house.

When we got there Jake wasn't home and Clarke invited me inside.

Upon entering the house we walked through the living room as she made her way into the kitchen to get a glass of water so that she could take the ibuprofen that Callie gave her. After taking it we both made our way up to her bedroom.

She sat down on her bed while I looked around, taking note of everything and basking in her scent which coated every surface and took up almost all of the air in this space.

Her walls were grey and beige and the bedroom had black, white and orange accents throughout. Even though I haven't known Clarke for very long I could tell that she really liked the color orange and everything in the room from the high ceiling to the arrangement of the furniture seemed to compliment her personality in a wonderful way.

I knew I couldn't stick around for long because Callie would want to call a family meeting in order to go over what we are going to do about the situation with the shifters.

_**I really wanted to spend some more time with her…** _

Heda whimpered but I could tell that she also knew that this matter needed to be taken care of sooner rather than later.

"Clarke, I can't stay long. The family will want to discuss what we are going to do about the incident at the beach today now that we know that you're okay."

She doesn't seem to want me to go but I know that she understands that I need to take care of this.

She sighed and got off of her bed to stand before me.

I used my fingers to move some loose strands of golden hair behind her ear and she leaned into my touch.

"Why don't you take a hot bath to relax, you've had a long and intense day. It might help you to sleep better."

She nods her head as her eyes drift shut.

"Will you come back and spend the night with me after you're done? Nothing scandalous or anything I just want to fall asleep with you."

"Of course I can. Anything for you love."

Her eyes opened and a smile spread across her face as she registered the term of endearment that I used in reference to her.

"Leave your window unlocked so that I don't have to come through the front door when I get back."

She nods her head as her eyes travel from my eyes down to my lips. She leaned in towards me and we shared a long and passionate kiss. Tongues dueling like we'd never see each other again and Clarke's hands began to run up my sides over my shoulders and into my hair pulling my face even further into her own and deepening the kiss.

The scent of her arousal and blood started to attack my senses again and I could feel my eyes darkening so I slowly pull out of the kiss placing my lips against her forehead before heading over to her window.

After opening it and I looked over my shoulder one last time, "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

She nodded with a dreamy look in her eyes. I chuckled lightly before jumping out of her window landing gracefully on the ground beside the huge tree right beside the house. I looked back up to see Clarke smiling down at me and I waved up at her not wanting to leave, but knowing I have to.

She waved back and as soon as she closed the window I made my way around the side of the house to my car that was parked next to Clarke's mustang.

_**Hopefully this doesn't take too long, I'm starting to miss her already…** _

**A/N:**

**There you have it a nice long chapter with plenty of Clexa interaction :) Lupa was once again up until all hours of the night beta reviewing this chapter for me and as usual I'm eternally grateful (^_^)**

**Next chapter should be up in a few days, I hope you all enjoyed this one. I'd also like to thank everyone that makes the effort to leave a comment or review as well as those who have added this story to their favorite and follow list, it's all very much appreciated :)**

**Let us know what you thought of this update.**

**Thanks for reading**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**(3** **rd** **Person POV)**

When Lexa made it inside the house she moved into the living room to see everyone already gathered waiting for her.

She took a seat in the only vacant chair in the room, looking around at her family members as the gaping hole in her chest where Clarke's presence is meant to fill grows wider and a little more ravenous.

Bellamy glanced over and gave her a sympathetic look while Lincoln directed a good dose of love and calm towards her. She smiled slightly over to both of them in thanks for their concern.

Callie cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word Raven shot up from her seated position beside Octavia and bellowed out, "We should all just head over to their den right now for some good old fashion ass kicking."

Octavia shook her head at the impatient and overzealous woman before before tugging on her arm to bring her back to a seated position.

"I second that motion." Bellamy added from where he was on the other side of the room.

"The shifters need to be taught a lesson after attacking our coven." Raven added in a very serious tone.

Although Lexa remained calm all the way from the beach up until now, the rage that sat in the pit of her stomach as a result of the wolves putting her mate in danger needed to be kept in check until she made sure Clarke was safe. Now that her mate had been checked out by Callie and she was safe and sound at home it was time to address the problem of the filthy disrespectful  _mutts_.

Bellamy smirked at Lexa's thoughts and she nodded upon noticing this, knowing that the two of them were on the same page.

Raven, Lexa, and Bellamy were not the only ones in the room trying to control their anger towards the wolf shifters. Surprisingly Lincoln could feel intense anger coming from Callie but she was masterfully masking it with the calm and collected expression shown on her face.

Callie turned to Lexa and gave her a thoughtful evaluation, " _Gona_ , Clarke is your mate and the two of you were the ones that were attacked. What would you like to do?" she asked.

Lexa told everyone about the encounter she had with Finn before the beach incident. She explained that Finn, who appeared to be the pack's beta, was also Clarke's ex-boyfriend and that he didn't seem to be able to let go of her or their past relationship.

This infuriated Callie even more because she knew that these shifters in particular mated for life and if Finn hadn't imprinted onto Clarke then he should not have been messing around with her feelings in the first place. She didn't let her agitation show outwardly but Lincoln could feel it and he attempted to send some calm towards the leader of their coven.

"Since this is the case I think we need to address this situation immediately and make it clear that Clarke is your mate before you and this Finn come to blows or worse…"

Lexa nodded in agreement as Callie pulled her phone out of her pocket and proceeded to dial Wells' number to request a meeting between the pack and their coven.

Before she got off the phone Wells told her that he and the pack would meet them in the woods where their two separate territories meet in 10 minutes.

Everyone left the house for the encounter with the pack fully prepared for whatever the night might bring. They all darted through the woods in organized chaos before coming to an abrupt synchronized stop once they picked up on the overwhelming scent of wet dog, garbage and shit; indicating that they were at their destination.

After a few minutes two massive wolves came out of the trees with Miller leading them in his human form. The two wolves were crouched down close to the floor with their teeth bared at the vampires who immediately all drop into a defensive stance as a whole unit, ready for a fight if the shifters chose to attack.

After a tense standoff between the two parties Wells and Finn came out of the bushes in their human forms and took their place at the head of the pack in front of Miller.

Wells directed the rest of the pack to cool it and stand down; for the most part they all obeyed but they continued to glare at all the vampires ready to attack if given the order to do so.

Callie stepped forward, shoulders tipped back, spine ramrod straight and her hands clasped behind her back as her penetrating gaze surveyed the young shifters before her.

"Wells, as alpha of this pack I was under the impression that you gave the orders and could keep your underlings in line, but from everything that my son and daughter have told me about the incident at the beach today it is apparent that this is not the case." She said all of this evenly, almost as if she was genuinely curious.

"Watch it  _Parasite_... We allowed your coven to live in this town when we didn't have to." Wells growled out his warning and puffed out his muscular chest in a threatening manner to get Callie to cower back.

That was the extent of her patience. She'd been keeping her anger about the attack on Lexa and Clarke in check all evening preferring to take the higher and more tactical approach to handle the situation, but Wells' clear unapologetic demeanor was too much for her to stand.

Lincoln buckled over slightly when Callie's patient demeanor snapped. Octavia immediately wrapped her arms around him in hopes that the gesture would help to ground her mate.

Bellamy could hear the violent thoughts in Callie's mind and they shocked him slightly. He'd never experienced Callie being anything but level headed before. Just as he looked over to where Wells was standing Callie let loose an earth shattering growl that actually had a few of the wolves cowering back and caused Wells' eyes to shoot open.

The only one in the clearing that was not surprised by her outburst was Marcus, he had his gaze fixed on Miller, and the steely look on his face was haunting.

Bellamy cringed at the thoughts running through Marcus' mind as he glared at the boy who was completely oblivious to his violent intent.

"Boy! You are testing my patience... I will only say this once. We have been nothing but patient with you and your pack's insolence since we arrived in this town and the minute that courteous patience runs out it well not end well for the lot of you." Callie took a menacing step towards the wolves which caused Wells to come back to his senses.

"Stay where you are  _parasite_  or I'll have my pack rip you all to shreds!" Wells bellowed as he balled up his fists and his body began to shake.

Callie continued to advance on him, not even remotely deterred by the boy's words or change in posture.

"This will be the last time you attack a member of my family unprovoked. You've violated the terms of our turf agreement and I will not stand for you threatening my family. Clarke is my daughter's mate and you are lucky that she didn't kill Miller for putting her in danger." She said this with finality, never breaking eye contact with the alpha. The gold in her normally calm eyes faded to black giving the features of her face an even more menacing look.

Lexa watched the exchange between Callie and Wells with great interest while her beast elected to remain out of the fray for the time being. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Miller staring at Raven and when she shifted her gaze to fully look at him with clear hatred and disgust written all over her face, he scoffed at her and started to grin.

Bellamy peeled his gaze away from the exchange between Callie and Wells and glanced over at Miller as well. When he picked up the faint trace of his stream of thought his mind reeled in disgust and barely contained rage.

Miller was fantasizing about raping Raven and leaving her body broken in the woods for them to find after he was done. A low and threatening growl rose up from Bellamy's chest as his eyes faded to black.

Once again without permission, Miller suddenly broke rank and lunged towards Raven who was standing beside Marcus slightly ahead of Lincoln and Octavia.

From there several things happened all at once.

Wells who was still in his human form ran towards Callie closing the short distance between them, but he wasn't fast enough. Callie dodged his attack stepping behind him and dropped her elbow into his back right between his shoulder blades effectively sending him face first into the dirt. Not missing a beat she then slammed her right booted foot into his spine effectively pinning him to the forest floor.

In that same instant, before Miller could even make it to Raven, Marcus flashed in front of her and snapped his hand out catching Miller by the neck and crushing his windpipe in a death grip.

One of the two shifters who were still in their wolf form let out a threatening growl and moved forward a few paces with its hackles raised, muscles wound tightly, and its body close to the ground as it eyed the encounter between Marcus and Miller. It started to move towards Raven and Lexa snapped to attention as she flashed between her sister and the still advancing wolf.

Lexa let out a warning growl and dropped into a defensive pose keeping her eyes trained on the wolf, but as it got closer she noticed that the wolf's advance towards Raven wasn't threatening. It had its tail dropped and its ears tucked back as it gazed over Lexa's shoulder towards the silent vampire behind her. When Lexa shifted her stance slightly to look back at Raven while still keeping an eye on the wolf she noticed that she seemed to be in some sort of trance, her eyes were fixed on the advancing wolf and they were the deepest black she had ever seen in the normally happy vampire.

"Raven wha-"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as she felt the wolf's hot breath fan out against the thin fabric of the shirt covering her midsection.

Raven finally snapped out of her trance and moved to a fighting stance beside Lexa as she aimed an annoyed growl at the large sandy wolf before them. The wolf whimpered in confusion as it eyed Raven carefully paying Lexa no attention at all but it stopped moving closer, instead choosing to turn its back to the two of them focusing on the two other altercations happening in the clearing.

Just then Miller let out a strangled yelp as Marcus' grip on his throat tightened again and he attempted to pry the large hand off but it wasn't budging. He tried to shift into his wolf form but this only caused Marcus to tighten his grip around the boy's already injured neck even more as he lifted him off of the ground and into the air. Miller's toes scratched against the forest floor desperately trying to find purchase on anything that would help him to get the vampire to release his grip but this was also pointless.

Marcus' eyes turned pitch black as he growled and whispered, "You underestimate us boy... I should rip your throat out for attacking my daughter and her mate today." His grip tightened once again and his low voice sounded almost conversational as he contemplated following through with his words. Miller's eyes began to roll back into his head, his lips turned blue and the whites of his eyes became bloodshot.

Knowing that something needed to be done before this situation escalated any further and her and Lexa lost control over their Berserker ability Octavia moved away from her mate who was still struggling with the unstable emotions around him and approached Marcus.

"Marcus… let him go. He's not worth you regretting this later." She whispered this into Marcus' ear as she gently squeezed his shoulder coaxing him into releasing the grip he had on Miller's throat.

Marcus struggled with himself for a few more seconds before he roughly threw Miller over to his pack. He landed with a loud thud and curled up into a ball gasping for air as he wrapping both of his hands around his throbbing neck.

"You insolent whelp! For the second time today your life has been spared by a member of my family. If you come near any of my children again I will not hesitate to end you." Everyone in the clearing could hear the promise in his voice.

Marcus looked up from Miller's curled up form to the wolf crouched down in front of Lexa and Raven who let out a quiet growl in response and then over to Finn who had been silently watching everything unfold.

"That goes for all of you."

He walked over to where Callie was crouched over Wells her right foot planted squarely into his back. He was thrashing around attempting to stand and push Callie off of him using every body part he could, but to no avail.

Marcus placed his palm on the side of her face gently and when she looked up her black eyes slowly started to revert back to their honey gold color.

"Let him up my love, I think we've made our point."

Callie growled before looking back down to the boy pinned under her. She apply a bit more pressure to his spine with the heel of her boot causing him to let out a broken and desperate cross between a howl and a whimper. She made a move to do it again but Marcus stopped her before she could.

"Callie, please stop."

Hearing the plea in her mate's voice she finally straightened up and removed her foot from the boys back taking a step away from him and turning to bring her forehead to rest against Marcus' as she took in a few deep pulls of his scent.

Wells hobbled up to his feet attempting to straighten his damaged back but he couldn't complete the task and winced every time he attempted to do so.

Raven had her eyes wide open as she gawked at Callie and Marcus, in complete awe of their actions.

"Damn! I didn't think you two had it in you and mama bear! I didn't know you could whoop ass like that. Shit you had  _me_  scared just now."

Lexa smiled at her words and looked at her 'parents' with pride. She'd always known Callie and Marcus were dangerous, Lincoln and she are the only ones in the family that had ever really seen the two vampires as anything other than calm and collected.

By the time Bellamy, Octavia and Raven joined the family the two eldest vampires were well into their immortal maturity and had much better control over their emotions. Both Lexa and her brother have vivid memories of a time in the mated pair's immortal life where they were known and feared by almost every intelligent supernatural in the western hemisphere. A time when they came across two newborn vampires in real danger of experiencing the true death and they risked their own undead lives against seemingly insurmountable odds to save them.

Callie turned her attention back to the wolves once she was calm.

"Wells, as I've said, your pack mate violated the terms of our turf agreement. You are all young and have a lot to learn but that still is not excuse enough for your actions today, this will be your first and last warning. The next time you encroach on our territory or attack one of us, we will not be as lenient as we have been tonight. My mate and I will not hesitate to wipe you and your pack out of existence if any of you should forget this warning in the future."

Wells glared at Miller briefly before looking back at Callie not really meeting her eyes.

"Understood?" Her voice once again took on that commanding tone and it caused Wells to finally make eye contact with her.

He nodded his head before walking over to Miller to help him up to his feet and ordered the rest of the pack to head back to the reservation.

Miller glanced over towards the vampires briefly making eye contact with Marcus and when he saw his eyes flash to black and then back to honey gold as he stared daggers into him he quickly lowered his head and turned to head back to the reservation following behind his Alpha.

It was only as Miller and Wells departed into the brush that the vampires noticed that the two shifters in their wolf form were not budging from where they sat. Finn noticed his pack mates eyeing two of the vampires and he sneered at them both in disgust.

He had been completely quiet during the entire altercation and the way he was looking at his pack mates screamed betrayal.

Now that calmer heads were prevailing Bellamy was able to focus in on the thoughts around him and Finn's thoughts came in loud and clear.

Finn sneered at all of them then turned on his heels, shifted into his wolf form and ran off in the opposite direction of where Wells and Miller had disappeared.

Once he was out of sight the vampires turned their attention to the remaining wolves who had moved to stand side by side staring back at them curiously. It was evident that the two wolves were focused on Bellamy and Raven but they made no move to get any closer.

Bellamy tuned into their thoughts but before he could get anything the two wolves howled out in unison and dashed off into the woods in the direction their alpha had taken.

Bellamy looked over to Callie and once she made eye contact with him she knew he was troubled about something.

"What is it?"

"Finn is planning to challenge Wells for his position as alpha of the pack. He doesn't think Wells is strong enough to lead them if he can be so easily overpowered by one of us."

Callie was silent for a moment while she considered their options.

"There's nothing we can do about that, but if he's successful I believe that this will not be the last time we have a violent encounter with the pack. Until then, we all need to be on our guard. What of the other two wolves?"

Bellamy shifted uncomfortably before answering.

"I didn't get a chance to read them but... there was something non-threatening about their presence. I'm not sure how to explain it… one of them seemed familiar to me somehow."

Lexa then spoke up, "He's right there was something off about them. The one that approached Raven had no intention of attacking, it was almost like it took up a protective stance in front of us."

Everyone turned to look at Raven to see if she had anything to add but she was staring off into the brush were the two wolves had disappeared from their view. She looked deep in thought and when Bellamy brushed up against her consciousness he could barely make sense of her disorganized thought pattern.

Now that Callie and Marcus were calm Lincoln was able to get control of his ability and he stepped forward to address the others.

"I think we should start patrolling our territory while we are out on our hunts, just in case Finn or Miller decide to try anything. Especially now that Clarke will be spending more time around us." he suggests.

Lexa visibly bristled at the idea that her mate would be in any kind of continued danger because of the shifter pack and she began to growl as she contemplated taking off after the pack to end the possible threat permanently.

Her stance shifted slightly and Callie watched her footing pivot in the direction of the shifters territory. She walked over to Lexa and placed a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into an embrace, " _Gona_ , we will all make sure that no harm comes to Clarke as a result of what's going on with the pack. You don't need to worry. You did an excellent job staying calm tonight but I think we might need to pick up your training again now that you have Clarke."

Lexa nodded her head into Callie's shoulders as she brought her arms up to wrap around the woman's torso, pulling in her scent to help stave of the steady building urge to protect that was creeping up on her fueled by Heda growing agitation.

She relaxed into Callie's embrace as the growling slowed to a stop and the darkness receded from the corners of her vision.

"Thank you both… for everything. And you're right, it might be a good idea to start training again."

Callie placed a brief kissed on Lexa's forehead before releasing her.

"You never need to thank us for things like that. I would die before I see harm come to any of you, Clarke included."

"I know." Lexa responded with absolute certainty.

She made her way over to Marcus and wrapped her arms around him in a short embrace of thanks as well before they separated and he reached out to take his mate's hand.

"You should get back to Clarke now, I'm sure she's waiting."

"You're right. It's already hard to be away from her and it's only been a day."

Callie nodded before she spoke.

"I overheard your conversation with her earlier in regards to the intensity and early reaction to the draw and I plan on making some phone calls to a few old friends to find out anything I can about what she could be or what's going on with her."

"I'd really appreciate any kind of help your friends can offer us."

Callie nodded in agreement, "Go on then she's waiting."

Lexa didn't need telling twice, she shot off at high speed in the direction of Clarke's house as Heda bathed her senses in excitement.

_**(Clarke's POV)** _

Once Lexa left the tugging in my chest increases exponentially and I spent a couple of minutes in my bedroom trying to calm myself down enough to go take my bath.

I buried my head in my hands and took some deep breaths; when that didn't work I got up and started to pace around my room.

_**What if they go see the wolves and Lexa gets hurt?** _

I try to force the thought out of my head as I make my way out of the bedroom heading towards my bathroom at the end of the hall.

While the tub filled up I added some of my favorite vanilla scented bath oil and went over to the sink to brush my teeth.

Once the tub was filled I stripped down and slid into the hot water careful not to agitate my ribs too much. As soon as the water made contact with my skin the muscles around my shoulders and midsection began to relax. I enjoyed the reprieve for another 30 minutes before I cleaned myself up and got out.

I toweled off my body before I moisturized my skin and slipped into the soft terry cloth robe that I have on the back of my bathroom door. Before leaving the restroom I gathered up all of my dirty clothes and threw them into the laundry hamper in the corner.

Re-entering my bedroom I headed over to the closest to pull out some boxer shorts, a sports bar, and a tank top to wear to bed and got dressed while thoughts if Lexa reemerged and I wonder how much longer she would be gone and if she was safe.

I closed my bedroom door, turned off the main light in my room, leaving it illuminated by only my desk lamp and grabbed my cell phone before heading over to the side of the bed to plug it up to charge.

Just as I plugged the phone in it started to vibrate in my hand. I look down at it expecting to see Lexa's name, but instead my mother's smiling face greeted me.

I slid my thumb across the screen to answer it.

"Hey mom, is everything okay?"

"Yeah honey, I just wanted to check in on you. I just spoke with your father and he told me that he's working the swing shift so he won't be home until the morning."

_**I don't know how he does it, working all these hours would drive me crazy. I mean honestly, how much crime is going on in this small dead-end town anyway?** _

"Oh okay, yeah I'm fine mom I'm just getting ready to head to bed right now. How's LA?"

I could hear a lot of people in the background it sounded like she was out with her girlfriends.

"It's gorgeous out here Clarke if it wasn't the beginning of the school year I would have taken you with me."

I laughed at that, "I wouldn't have gone anyway; I doubt that LA is my scene."

She scoffed into the phone, "Honestly Clarke, when are you going to start acting your age. Any normal teenage girl would be ecstatic about a trip to the sunshine state."

I know that she didn't mean anything by it and she didn't even know what she was actually saying, but hearing my mom refer to me as not being normal sent a small ache through my chest as my conversation with Lexa in her bedroom earlier tonight was brought up to the forefront of my mind.

"Yeah, well I guess I'm not that normal," I said softly. "Mom, I'm gonna turn in now. Be safe out there and I'll call you tomorrow after school."

"Okay Honey, I love you." she shouted this into the phone and I had to pull it away from my ear briefly before responding to her.

"I love you too Mom, talk to you tomorrow."

With that said I hung up the phone and placed it on my bedside table. I walked over to my window on the other side of my bed and made sure that it was unlocked before turning off my desk lamp and slipping under the covers of my bed.

I laid in bed thinking about Lexa for the next 30 minutes and just as I was about the drift off into a restless sleep I heard my window creaking open. I glanced over to the sound and saw her climbing into my bedroom. Once she was inside she turned towards the window and locked it before pulling the blinds down.

As she walked over to the bed I lifted up the covers inviting her in wordlessly.

She took off her jacket, jeans, and shoes before climbing into the bed next to me and I was instantly engulfed in her sent and the calm that her presence brought me.

"Hello Beautiful, did you miss me?" She asked as she gently shifted me onto my side facing away from her so that she could spoon up behind me and wrap her cool arm around my mid sections on my bruised ribs.

I snuggled back into her embrace welcoming it like a childhood security blanket.

"Of course I missed you. What took you so long?" I asked her.

She places a few feather light kisses along the back of my neck and shoulder before answering.

"After the meeting we all decided to pay the shifters a visit and things got a little… heated."

That got my attention.

"Did any of your family members get hurt?" I asked frantically, not liking the idea of any of those assholes causing harm to the vampires.

"No, everyone's fine. Callie and Marcus did a great job at scaring the shit out of the pack. They put them in their place tonight. It was actually a grand spectacle now that I look back on it."

"Tell me about it." I ask her as I closed my eyes and listened to her smooth voice while she recounted everything that happened from when she left my house to when she got back.

By the time Lexa was done filling me in I saw that it was almost midnight on my alarm clock.

"You should really get some rest Clarke, we have school tomorrow." She snuggled further into my back as she placed her nose against the nape of my neck taking in deep long pulls of my scent.

I yawned before answering her drowsily, "Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

She hummed at my response and I fell into peaceful unconsciousness to her steadily purring into the back of my neck.

_**I could really get used to falling asleep like this every night…** _

**A/N:**

**There you have it everyone, another chapter. My apologies for the delay. I live in Southern California and it's been hotter than Satan's kitchen out here so I haven't had any motivation to sit in front of the hot screen of my laptop to work on the story. Hopefully this heat breaks soon.**

**This chapter was Beta reviewed by Lupa1208 who has been doing an A++ job of putting up with me for weeks now. She's the greatest beta a girl can ask for.**

**As per usual, hope you enjoyed the update and thank you to all those who have reviewed, followed, and Favorited this story I really appreciate you all giving it a chance.**

**Let us know what you think of this new chapter, I will try to have the next one up as soon as possible.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**(3** **rd** **Person POV)**

Two horse sized wolves crashed into the moonlit clearing, one a sandy color with black undertones and the other a chestnut color.

They both started to shake viciously as their bodies shrunk and their fur receded to reveal sweat slicked human flesh.

"What the hell was that Wick?!"

The male raked his hands through his shaggy blonde hair as he started to pace around naked as the day he was born.

"Echo, I think we imprinted on two of them. Wells and Finn will kill us when they find out."

Echo let out an annoyed groan as she plopped her naked ass on a fallen tree nearby.

"What are we going to do? Has a shifter ever even imprinted on a parasite before?"

Wick immediately rounded on her.

"Don't call them that! We are mated to two of them Echo. We can't call them that…"

Echo was silent for a few beats as she watched Wick continue to pace.

"Pacing isn't gonna solve anything idiot. What the hell are we gonna do about this?! We can't go back to the den like this, Finn is already suspicious. He picked up on the shift in our scent. It will only be a matter of time before the other's pick it up as well."

Wick knew she was right, a wolf's scent immediately changes after they imprint on their mates almost like they finally hit maturity. No longer pups, ready to breed and be bred.

"Can vampires even have pups?" he asked Echo sadly.

She shrugged and got up off the tree she was occupying.

"I don't know but I wasn't planning on having pups anyway, so it makes no difference to me."

She started to walk off in the direction of the pond they liked to frequent on full moons. It had been their place ever since they were kids well before their first change and while they were still living in the local foster home.

"I guess I never really wanted any either. Would have been nice to have the option though."

Echo glanced over her shoulder at her idiot best friend before shaking her head and continuing down the path that would open up to the pond.

"You haven't even really met her yet and you're already griping about your missed opportunity to knock her up?"

Wick sighed almost dreamily.

"She was beautiful though wasn't she? I bet we would have made gorgeous pups, whole litters of them."

Echo reached back and pushed him into some nearby bushes before laughing and carrying on down the path.

Wick popped up beside her only seconds later with leaves and twigs in his messy blonde hair.

"Don't act so unaffected Mrs. Strong Silent Type. Don't think I didn't notice you staring at the mind reader. I'm surprised he didn't get a vampy boner after hearing your thoughts."

Echo pushed him again, but he saw it coming and was able to avoid being deposited in the bushes for a second time.

"Shut up Wick! I wasn't thinking anything dirty." He looked at her skeptically and she blushed brightly under his scrutiny confirming his suspicions.

"Whatever E.T., I'll race you to the water. If I win you have to break the news to Wells that we've imprinted on the enemy, if you win I'll have the honor and the misfortune."

He immediately broke into a sprint in his human form with Echo hot on his trail.

**(Lexa's POV)**

At around two in the morning the rain started and from the sounds coming through the closed window it didn't seem as if it planned on letting up for a good long while. Clarke remained sound asleep wrapped up in my arms as the thunder and lightning increased in frequency.

During the night she'd rolled over to face me instinctively wrapping her arms around my torso and holding on as if for dear life. In the dark of her bedroom I was able to make out all of her features without difficulty but every time lightning struck her skin almost seemed like it was glowing in the darkness and I felt an intense pull toward her.

_**I want to be even closer…** _

Instead of caving to my instincts and inadvertently waking my mate I relaxed my mind in order to enter a meditative state with Heda.

_**(Meditation Chamber)** _

_**Heda: Vassal.** _

_**Lexa: How are we to protect her Heda? Did you know our mate would be human?** _

_Heda didn't respond immediately, the chamber remained eerily silent for an indiscernible amount of time._

_**Heda: We will do what we must. You will do what you must Vassal.** _

_**Lexa: We cannot lose her... Callie believes I should start training again…** _

_Heda growled in annoyance at the prospect, having never been a fan of Callie's suppressant training. There was a vicious snarl in her voice when she spoke next._

_**Heda: She is a fool for trying to suppress your ability. You and the other Berserker Goufa.** _

_**Lexa: Maybe it is not such a bad thing, if Octavia and I have our ability under lock and key we cannot unintentionally hurt those we love.** _

_Heda rounded on me immediately and I could feel her hot breath wash over me from the shadows._

_**Heda: Do not be weak in the head Vassal! Your ability could be the very weapon to use in defending our mate! Do not allow the misguided gentility of your coven delude you into thinking being a pure blooded Berserker is a curse.** _

_**Lexa: Do you not remember what happened the last time I lost control?! I massacred an entire village Heda! That cannot happen again, I will not allow it.** _

_I was getting agitated which only increased Heda's agitation. The subject of my Berserker birthright was always a point of contention between us. Heda believing it to be an ability that needs to be fostered and I sided with Callie in being cautious about the way it is handled._

_**Heda: Weakness will be our downfall and it will risk the life of our mate Vassal.** _

_**Lexa: I will find a way.** _

_**Heda: You do that. Be sure not to forget my warning. Allow the training but do not suppress the ability, it could prove useful to us.** _

_Heda's presence in the chamber faded slowly into the darkness and the light surrounding me dimmed to a never ending blackness._

_**(Exit)** _

Once I was fully conscious again I could feel that Clarke had broken out into a heavy sweat in her sleep. I pulled the covers off of us and lined my body up along her front to aid in cooling her down.

I remained in this position for the next few hours while I waited until it was time to wake her up. The rain outside was falling even harder now, the sound of it beating down on the house accompanied my warring thoughts of Heda's warning.

_**Yet another thing I have to worry about…** _

When Clarke's alarm clock went off at 7am I reached over and silenced it before placing light kisses across her furrowed brow as she began to stir.

As soon as her eyes opened she grinned at the sight of me hovering over her until her phone started to ring.

She shifted towards her bedside table to retrieve it and I moved over to the other side of the bed to give her the room to do so.

"Hi Dad, what's up?"

Her voice sounded deep and sleep ridden and I used my vampire hearing to tune into the conversation she was having with her father.

" _Hey Princess, looks like you have the day off of school."_

Clarke sat up completely in bed before responding.

"Why? Did something happen?"

" _Nothing too major, the rain caused a mudslide and took out the road leading to the high school. No one can get in or out of that area until we get it cleared and we can't clear it until the rain stops. Just stay in today, it's horrible out here and it doesn't look like it will be letting up until later today or tomorrow."_

As Clarke continued to talk to her father on the phone I got up from the bed and opened the blinds to assess the situation for myself.

It was clear that Jake was correct. The clouds hanging in the sky were heavy and a deep shade of gray bordering on black. Thunder continued to roll in the distance and the rain continued to fall in heavy sheets making visibility for human eyes close to impossible.

As I looked into the trees surrounding the property my enhanced sight picked up movement. Something was moving in the shadows but I couldn't make out exactly what it was.

Before I could investigate any further I felt Clarke slip her arms around my midsection from behind.

"My Dad says I should stay home today."

I turned in her arms and she moved to wrap them around my neck instead as I wrapped my own around her waist and leaned down slightly to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I know, vampire hearing, remember?"

She chuckled at my response.

"Sorry, forgot."

"Nothing to be sorry about. What would you like to do today? I could leave if you need some time to yourself."

She tightened her hold on my neck and pulled me even closer shaking her head in the negative.

"No, can you stay here with me? I want to get to know you better. I have questions if you don't mind answering them."

I pulled her arms away from my neck and tugged her back to the bed as we crawled under the covers again, leaving the blinds open to let in the gray light from outside.

I sat up slightly placing a few pillows behind my back so that my upper body was propped up against her headboard. Clarke curled her body into my side and laid her head on my chest as she looked out her window at the rain.

"What would you like to know  _ai_   _hodnes_?"

She lifted her head slightly and looked at me before responding, "For starters what does that mean and what language is it?"

" _Ai_   _hodnes_  means 'my love' and it is  _Trigedasleng_  my human mother tongue. Only myself, Lincoln and Callie know and use it in our coven and Marcus knows enough of it to get by and understand us."

Clarke didn't even bat an eyelash to the term of endearment and Heda preened at this.

"So, you and Lincoln are actual brother and sister, can you tell me a bit about your lives before you were both changed?"

I thought about the few memories that I still have of that life and picked the most prominent and clear one to share with her.

"Of course, I'm an open book to you Clarke. You can always ask me anything."

She smiled and dropped her head into the crook of my neck breathing in my scent. I know her senses aren't strong enough to really pick it up in its entirety but the gesture offered comfort to both Heda and I as I started to share the memory with her.

**(3** **rd** **Person POV)**

****495 years ago – Amazon Rainforest, South America****

"Leksa, get out of the tree... The elders demand your presence in the village."

Linkon paced around the base of the large tree where his stubborn sister had taken up residence for the last five hours.

"It's not all bad. Jodek will make you a good  _houmon_. He is strong and loyal, Father chose well for you."

Leksa pelted him with yet another rock from the high branch she was perched on. She'd been chucking rocks at him since he found her sitting in the great tree two hours prior.

"Come on Le-"

" _Shof op_  Linkon! I will not join with that  _branwada_! You can tell Father and the elders that I choose exile!"

Linkon sighed loudly and ran his hand over his bald head getting progressively more frustrated with his uncooperative sister.

"Why did I have to be the one sent to come find you?" He said this more so to himself as he took a seat at the base of the tree and leaned back against it.

Leksa laughed dryly as she dropped her weight so that she was dangling upside down from the branch above her brother's head her knees hooked onto the tree to keep her in place.

"Because they knew I would have probably killed anyone else they sent?"

It was rhetorical but Linkoln knew that the possibility wasn't much of a stretch considering the scene she made when the announcement of her arranged joining was made.

"I know you don't like it, but you have a duty to our family. This arrangement was made before we were even born."

Leksa huffed in annoyance and dropped from the tree righting her body on the way down so that she landed with a soft thud in a practiced squat.

She plopped down in a seated position in front of her brother and looked up at him with hurt and angered eyes.

"Laik ai nou a  _Gona_? Haven't I proven my worth to  _Nontu_  as a defender of the trikru?"

Linkon's shoulders slumped and he sighed in defeat reaching out to grasp one of her sisters shaking and balled up fists.

" _Strik gona_ … You are a better fighter and hunter than almost all of the  _gonas_  in our village, but being the daughter of the Chief does not excuse you from your duty to our people."

Leksa violently pulled her hand away from his and stood from the ground.

"What duty to our people involves becoming a breeding maid Linkon?!" She kicked at the soil beneath her feet and let out an irritated growl. "My duty lies in defending our village, protecting our weak, and being a strong leader that our  _gonas_  and people can look to,  _ai souda gonplei_!"

Leksa and Linkon didn't notice the other individual that stepped into the clearing they were occupying.

"So it's true then…"

Leksa quickly turned around at the statement and upon seeing who it was she immediately ran over to greet her.

"Kostia!" She had a wide grin on her face as she closed in on the other brunette but that grin quickly dropped when she registered the tears in the girl's eyes.

"Kos,  _chit ste em_?"

As Leksa got closer she could see that the darker girl's eyes were bloodshot and puffy indicating that she'd been crying for quite a while.

"I was in the market this morning when I overheard that you are to be joined to Jodek by the end of the season."

Leksa hung her head and tried to pull Kostia into her arms but she took a step back.

"Kostia, I do not want this. I did not agree to it and I won't agree to it."

Linkon stood from his spot at the bottom of the tree.

"She doesn't have a choice Kos, you know that as well as I do."

Leksa whirled on him again.

"Shof op Linkon!"

She then turned back to Kostia who was once again shedding tears.

"I will fix this. I will find a way Kos, I promise. Just you and me, remember?"

Kostia nodded and finally allowed Leksa to pull her into an embrace.

Linkon watched his sister and the girl he knew she really wanted to be joined with. The two of them have always fit together and he knew that had one of them been born male they would be joined by now.

Unfortunately that wasn't the case, their union would never be accepted by the elders or the people. Leksa and he are the only children of the Trikru Chief and as such they were expected to join young and produce  _yongon_ with strong warrior blood _._

"We should go back to the village before they send others to find us. We have time to figure all of this out, running is not an option Leksa,  _gonakru nou run_."

**(Still Lexa's POV)**

****Present Day****

"I remember going back to our village with Lincoln and Costia that night. My father was livid at the disrespect I'd shown to my future  _houmon_ and the elders by running out at the announcement. He forbade me from leaving the village on my own leading up to the joining ceremony to be held at the end of the season."

Clarke shifted against me so that she could slowly rearrange herself into a seated position with her legs crossed in front of her.

"What about your mother? Did she support the arranged marriage?"

"From what little I remember of my human life our mother was a gentle soul. She wasn't necessarily subservient to my father, I believe they truly grew to love each other, but for the most part she supported and stood behind his decisions."

Clarke nodded in understanding and reached out to grasp my hand that was resting uselessly on my own thigh, "Did you have a good relationship with them?"

_**I wish I could remember more about them…** _

"Lincoln's memories of our human life are much clearer than mine, but from what he's told me we were both loved and our parents took great pride in us. My father allowed me to be trained as a warrior from a young age, which was unheard of for the daughter of a Chief-"

"Women were not allowed to be warriors." Clarke sounded righteously offended.

I chuckled a little at her reaction.

"You have to realize, this was almost 500 years ago and even though Amazonian women held a little more independent social status compared to other places in the world of that time period, highborn women from old bloodlines were still raised to be mothers and nothing more. My people believed that women from old bloodlines gave birth to stronger and fiercer warriors and they depended on us to maintain the strength of our clans. My bloodline just so happened to be the oldest in our clan and in our area and Lincoln would have been our next Chief or I would have been if he died."

"What about Costia? Was she your lover?" Clarke's voice hitched a little on her second question and I quickly looked up to see the subtle signs of jealousy ease its way onto her features.

I smirked and gave her hand a little squeeze causing her to look up at me, "Are you jealous?"

She blushed brightly and shook her head in the negative but I didn't believe her at all.

"Costia was also highborn but her bloodline wasn't as old as ours. To be honest, I'm not really sure if we were lovers or not... I have few solid memories of her, just hazy snippets of her smile, her laugh, me chasing her through the forest when we were young and carefree. Lincoln says we were very close, that we all grew up together and that Costia and I were very rarely seen apart. I know she was very important to me, but I feel like if we were lovers I would have remembered more of her after the change."

Clarke seemed to accept this explanation and I knew what question she would ask next.

"Why does Lincoln remember more about his human life than you do?"

I stood from the bed and walked over to the window to look out at the rain that was still coming down in dense sheets.

"When a vampire turns a human that is not their true mate or one of their potentials it can sometimes compromise the human's brain chemistry and synaptic transmissions. It's rare, but there are times when the human loses most if not all of their human memories. They are little more than ravenous animals when they wake to their immortal lives."

I knew that she would want me to explain further, but I was dreading it.

_**These are the painful memories…** _

"Is that what happened to you? Can you tell me about when you were changed?"

The memories surrounding my change and the day after it leading up to Callie and Marcus finding us are the only other memories that I have that are crystal clear. I knew that I would need to hunt before I could reopen those painful wounds.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you get up and get something to eat for breakfast and I'll go hunt really quickly. When I get back we can continue this conversation."

Clarke nodded and we both got up from the bed. I started to put my pants and boots back on as Clarke opened her bedroom window for me and briefly stuck her head out to have a good look at the rain.

Once I was prepared to head out I stood behind her and cleared my throat. Clarke jumped slightly and pulled her head back inside before turning to me.

"This will take less than an hour, I won't go far. As soon as I'm done I'll come back. I can just go on a longer hunt later for bigger game."

She moved closer and placed a kiss on my cheek before stepping aside to give me access to the window. I quickly jumped through and landed on the soft rain soaked ground below.

Looking back up I could see her close the window and wave down at me before I turned around and quickly made my way into the woods surrounding her house.

When I was about a mile deep I slowed to a stop. The rain was a little lighter in the tree coverage and although all the scents around me were washed out I could still pick up the faint smell of a herd of deer close by.

I began to follow the smell but I could almost swear that something or someone was watching me. I turned in a circle surveying the area but I couldn't see or feel anyone. I could only smell the close by deer and I chalked it up to paranoia.

Heda was getting agitated though and she was clawing at my insides in warning, almost as if she could sense that danger was close by and I couldn't.

_**We'll make this quick so we can get back to Clarke without incident Heda.** _

Once I located the herd I isolated one of the smaller ones and broke its neck quickly while the others scampered away at my sudden arrival. My canines elongated as my eyes faded to black.

When my teeth finally pierced the deer's neck and its warm blood started to pour down my throat I finally felt a little calmer, a little more ready to head back to my mate and reveal the most painful memory that I have locked away.

It has been centuries since I'd revisiting the memories of my turning. It was a traumatic event for both Lincoln and I and now that I have finally found my mate I am even more thankful that Callie and Marcus were in the forest that day.

20 minutes later I was finishing disposing of the deer carcass and washing my hands in a nearby stream so that I could head back. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end again and I started to once again feel like something or someone was watching me.

Heda was now passed agitation and slowly building up to aggression.

Something was stalking us and no apex predator enjoys the tables being turned as they are stalked like the prey they normally hunt. A second problem quickly made itself known and Heda all of a sudden became deadly quiet and my stomach started to roll.

It's been a long while since I've been human, but I knew the feeling to be nausea immediately. My body hunched over and the rolling feeling in my gut slowing turned into stabbing pain which then caused my body to break out in a light sweat.

Whatever was in the forest with me was still watching and I was briefly panicked when I realized that if it chose to make a move I would be at a disadvantage since my body was currently not cooperating.

Just as the panic started to really set in I felt the blood that I'd just ingested start to make its way back up my throat.

_**No, not yet. It's too soon.** _

I figured out what was happening well before the first taste of blood hit the back of my tongue.

My body was starting to reject the animal blood. It wants Clarke's blood.

I clenched my jaw, ignored the presence still watching me and forced myself to swallow back the blood in an effort to retain whatever nutrients I could in order to stave off my hunger until later in the evening.

After a few minutes of repeated swallowing and heavy breathing I felt safe in relaxing knowing that the blood wouldn't try to come up again. I straightened my posture and survey the immediate area trying to sense the presence stalking me again but it was gone.

_**What the hell was that?** _

I remembered that earlier in the morning I saw something moving in the woods bordering Clarke's property, this must have been what I caught the glance of.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath trying to scent the air for it, but all that came back were the natural scents of the rain soaked forest. I almost wanted to pick up the putrid smell of one of the wolf shifters just so that I could put my mind at ease.

Something else was out here, I could felt it like an oppressive weight on my consciousness. Heda sensed it too so I couldn't have just imagined it.

As I ran back towards Clarke's house I made a mental note to bring the experience up to Callie next time I saw her.

_**Time to get this out of the way, the sooner I tell her about how I was changed the sooner I would be able to lock the memories back up.** _

**(Clarke's POV)**

****Still present day****

By the time Lexa got back from her hunt I was done eating the small breakfast I made for myself, I'd used the restroom, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I was laying out on the bed with a book to pass the time when she jumped back through my window.

I'd left a towel hanging from the back of my desk chair for her to dry off with when she got back and once she closed the window behind her and noticed it she smiled over in thanks and proceeded to strip back out of her jacket, boots and pants.

I watched the corded muscles in her arms, shoulders, and midsection move as she used the towel to dry her face and hair; it almost caused me to stop breathing.

_**How can one person be this attractive?** _

Once she was dry she moved over to the bed and kissed me on the forehead.

"Thank you  _ai hodnes_." I blushed at the term of endearment and started to realize that it was a preferred way of addressing me.

The corners of her lips tipped up slightly as she noticed my blushing and when she pulled away I expected her to get back on the bed with me, but instead she moved back over to the window.

Lexa kept her back turned to me and continued to gaze out at the rain for a solid 10 minutes. She was only dressed in her tank top and black lace boy shorts that hugged the curves of her ass like a second layer of skin. I was in awe of her and really didn't think that I'd ever seen anyone so attractive in my life.

The gray light coming through the window from the heavy storm clouds outside wrapped around her sculpted lean body. I could make out every curve of the beautiful musculature in her shoulders, back, and legs. It made me want to pull out my sketchbook and some charcoal so that I could immortalize the sight on paper.

_**Dear god…** _

I shifted around in the bed stretching my legs out in front of me as I moved to occupy the spot against the headboard that she'd vacated earlier. As soon as I got comfortable her lingering scent on the pillows wafted up into my nose and that along with the view forced me to squeeze my thighs together in an effort to alleviate some of the throbbing that started to manifest at the juncture of my legs.

_**This is so not the time…** _

Before I could ruminate further on my body's reaction to Lexa she started to speak in a controlled and monotone voice.

"These memories are the ones that I revisit the least. They are the most painful that I have but they are also the most important, so I really do need to share them with you. It was only two weeks after it was announced that I was to be joined with Jodek that we were all taken and our lives were violently changed…"

**A/N:**

**Trigedasleng translations for this chapter** :

_Goufa_  - Child

_Ai Hodnes_  – My Love

_Houmon_  – Husband/Wife

_Shof op_  – Shut up

_Branwada_  – Loosely translated to idiot, someone who is worthless or foolish

_Laik ai nou a gona?_  – Am I not a warrior?

_Nontu_  – Father

_Strik gona_  – Little warrior

_Ai souda gonplei_  – I must fight.

_Chit ste em?_  – What is it?

_Yongon_  – Offspring

_Gonakru nou run_  – Warriors do not run

**Had to break it off here.**

**This is apart one of one massive chapter that completely got away from me. Next chapter picks up exactly where this one left off and you get the full story about the circumstances surrounding Lincoln and Lexa's change.**

**I'm wondering now how many of you guessed correctly about the two wolves and who they were. I have big plans for those two knuckleheads and I can't wait to write more about them! I hope you are ready for that.**

**The next part of this chapter is literally already written. I'm just adding some final touches and you will only have to wait until Lupa has some free time to edit it before it's posted (Sorry guys, I'm trying here! ~Lupa). Could be as early as today, could be as late as a couple days from now. Who knows (I do… ~Lupa). Point is, it's already written so at least you know it will be posted sooner rather than later.**

**In the meantime, please let us know what you think. This chapter and the one coming up were not originally planned. I literally just inserted all new content into my plot layout on a whim and ran with it. So let me know how it takes, the next chapter gives me tingles and I can't wait for you guys to read it. (^_^)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**

**Here is part two people, two updates in two days, you all should be thanking Lupa, since she was burning the midnight oil to edit this for me so I could post it today. Big shoutouts go out to her for being an awesome Beta.**

**All of that being said, pull up your panties and settle in for the ride. A whole lot goes down in this chapter;** **for those on Ao3 take note that the "Graphic Description of Violence" tag kicks in here, for those reading on FF this is your trigger warning for blood, gore and dismemberment.** **Proceed with caution if that sort of thing gives you the heebie jeebies.**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter 11**

**(3** **rd** **Person POV)**

****495 years ago – Amazon Rainforest, South America****

Linkon, Leksa, and Kostia were moving expertly through the trees a few miles outside of their village desperately trying to outrun the  _Ripas_  that were hot on their trail and gaining on them every time they looked back.

" _Skrish!_  We won't make it Linkon! We have to stop and fight them off. We can't lead them back to the village!"

Leksa was frantically trying to keep focus on the path ahead while also keeping an eye on Kostia who was falling behind slightly and the three  _Ripas_  that were tearing through the tree's desperate to rip into their flesh.

"They outnumber us in strength and brutality Leksa, we will lose!"

He was using every ounce of energy he had to make it to the borders of their land, hoping that the  _Gonas_  stationed at the gates could assist them with dispensing of the  _Ripas_ before it was too late.

He and Leksa alone could probably hold out until help arrived, but Kostia was not a  _gona_ , they would rip her apart first.

Leksa increased her speed and launched her body forward coming in line with Linkon on the tree adjacent to the one he was traversing.

"We will not make it." She reiterated this both in finality and with a sense of abject acceptance.

No one had ever survived a close encounter with a  _Ripa_  and they had three on their tail.

Just as the siblings made eye contact with each other they heard Kostia let out a terrifying scream.

Leksa whipped around nearly falling off of the branch she stopped on.

"Kostia! No!"

Linkon watched in horror as one of the  _Ripas_  bit into Kostia's neck causing her blood to gush out in powerful streams onto the forest floor. Leksa let out an enraged scream and leapt from the branch she was perched on landing only feet away from the  _Ripa_  that had Kostia in its grasp.

The creature was easily twice Leksa's size and it wrapped its powerful arms around Kostia's smaller frame while its teeth were still embedded in her neck and dragged her off into the brush.

Kostia's gargled screams tapered off to nothing as Leksa made to take off after her.

Just as she started to move Linkon saw the other two  _Ripas_  close in behind her. He immediately let go of the branch he was holding onto and dropped onto the back of the Ripa that moved right under him.

"Leksa, behind you!"

The remaining  _Ripa_  made a grab for the back of her neck. Leksa dropped into a low practiced crouch spinning an outstretched leg in a wide arc towards the large creature behind her causing him to growl loudly as he landed flat on his back.

Linkon wrapped his right arm around the neck of the  _Ripa_  who's back he had landed on. He struggled desperately to use his left hand to reach for the dagger he had strapped to his thigh but it was proving difficult with the creature now attempting to throw him off.

He briefly glanced over in the direction where Leksa could be heard struggling with her own attacker and saw that she was not faring any better.

It was then that a dark feeling of dread washed over him. These two creatures who used to be men, probably from his very own village, will be the ones to end their bloodline.

As Linkon made one last desperate attempt to reach for his dagger the  _Ripa_ finally got a hold of his left leg and with more force than Linkon had ever experienced in his life; he was ripped off of its back and flung across the clearing landing with a bone crunching thud after bouncing off of a nearby tree.

He couldn't move, his body was broken, and the last thing he saw before his world faded to blackness was the other  _Ripa_  heaving his sister's limp body over its shoulder before walking off into the brush where the first one disappeared to.

"No…"

****Weeks later****

Leksa woke up violently. Her eyes frantically searched the room she found herself in. Her arms and legs were restrained to a flat hard surface by iron shackles and she was naked.

She frantically searched her mind to try to figure out how she got into the state she was in but she was only drawing blanks. There was a steady burning and itching in her throat. She wanted to rip into her own flesh to alleviate it but her arms were still restrained.

Growing ever more irritated her body began to shake and she could feel the blood in her veins start to boil.

She started to pull at the restraints that were keeping her trapped but she quickly realized that she wasn't strong enough to break the irons. Her irritation with being trapped further escalated until she felt her body start to swell and harden. She could feel her bones shift, some of them even growing in length. Her canines elongated and she let out a powerful and deep growl as the iron shackles around her wrists finally gave way breaking apart from the chains tethering her to the table and allowing Leksa to spring up into a seated position.

She grunted in satisfaction and brought her hands up in front of her vaguely shocked to see how large and powerful they appeared.

She glanced down at the rest of her body and for some reason she knew something was off. Her memories were hazy but something told her that what she was seeing wasn't right.

From her exposed chest down to her bare feet she saw nothing but bulging, hard muscles, the prominent veins under her skin throbbed angrily and she could feel a steady rage coursing through her system.

_**Get out. Free us!** _

Leksa's head snapped up at the command. She looked around the room expecting to see a monster lurking in the dark corner to match the terrifying voice she was hearing.

She saw nothing.

_**Free yourself!** _

It was then that Leksa realized that the voice was in her head. It was also just about that time that she realized that the rage she was feeling wasn't entirely her own.

There were sounds coming from outside the door in front of her. She could hear rapid heavy footsteps and growling approaching.

She growled in return, reached down and easily broke through the shackles around her ankles finally freeing herself completely from the stone table she was laid out on.

As soon as her large feet touched the ground and she stood up she almost tipped over. Her balance was off as if she was learning to walk for the first time. She grabbed onto the rim of a stone basin positioned along one of the side walls of the room to help keep herself upright as she felt strength start to make its way back into her limbs.

When she looked into the basin, the reflection offered by the water inside had her reeling back slightly.

Looking back at her was a face that she recognized as her own, but it wasn't at the same time.

Her eyes were a vibrant red rimmed in a fiery gold. The bones in her face were more prominent, her jaw line wider and stronger, her cheekbones sharper, and most noticeably her teeth were larger in size. The canines being the largest and preventing her from fully closing her mouth.

As her eyes moved lower she noticed once again that her body had also changed significantly, her shoulders were wider and more muscular. In fact, her entire upper and lower body were larger than that of the largest  _Gona_  she can remember ever laying eyes on.

When she straighten up she realized that the reason her balance was off was because she'd also grown in height. If the size of the door in front of her was anything to go by she'd grown at least 2 feet.

Just as her balance started to right itself the door in front of her burst open and she was staring at an equally naked man, who looked vaguely familiar to her.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he laid eyes on the large being in the room, shock evident in his bright red eyes. His canines descended and he let out a feral growl before lunging at her.

"What have you done with her?!"

Leksa's instincts took over and she growled back at him viciously before picking her right leg up off the ground and swinging it into his gut sending him flying into the stone wall to the left of the open door. The wall crumbled on impact and the familiar stranger howled in pain before jumping back up to attack again.

Leksa caught him by the throat this time and lifted his smaller body up to her face to get a better look.

She barely recognized her own voice when she spoke, " **Chon yu bilaik?!** "

The familiar stranger dangling from her grasp stopped struggling once she spoke. His eyes widened when he realized who it was that had him in their grasp.

"...Leksa?"

The name sounded right, it fit.

She sniffed at his neck trying to figure out who he was to her, he smelt right, unthreatening.

_**This one is safe. This one is kin.** _

The voice that commanded her to free herself spoke again and as she lowered the stranger onto the ground the rage flowing through her system abated just a little bit.

"Leksa, what did they do to you?"

It was then that she started to get flashes of his face, his eyes weren't red in the flashes, but she saw him with her, as  _yongon_ , as  _Gonas_ , as siblings.

" **Linkon...** " Her voice still sounded foreign, it was a deep growl wrapped in the voice that she remembers as her own.

Linkon's eyes brightened briefly at his sister's recognition.

"We must get out of here Leksa,  _osir gonplei ste nou odon."_

Just then they could both hear a horn being blown and rapid footsteps making it down the hall that Linkon had just come from.

"The  _Ripas_ , we are in their lair, we've been here for weeks. They did something to us Leksa. Something is wrong with me and something is very wrong with you."

He gave her oversized body another long glance in awe of the amount of muscle he could see and the raw power she was emanating.

Leksa growled in confirmation and the two siblings moved out of the room and into the hallway. At one end they saw nothing but darkness, so dark that it almost hurt to look into, and from the other end they could hear the rapidly approaching  _Ripas_.

The direction the  _Ripas_  were coming from was also the direction they could smell the forest air wafting into the structure.

_**The way out. Get us out!** _

The voice in her head sounded agitated and in turn it caused her own agitation to increase. She started to growl in both annoyance of being confined in whatever structure they were in as well as out of rage at the  _Ripas_  who brought them there.

Before Linkon could make a move to run in the direction of freedom and directly into the oncoming group of  _Ripas_  closing in on them Leska's large hulking body was tearing down the passageway causing the ground beneath her feet to shake and loose rocks to fall away from the cobblestone walls.

She let loose a terrifying and bone rattling growl as soon as two  _Ripas_  made their way around the final corner to their location.

Linkon watched in awe as Leksa picked up the first Ripa within reach with one hand like he weighed nothing and slam him into the other creature beside him. There were agonizing wails being torn from the throats of the two  _Ripas_  as their bodies broke against one another repeatedly unable to withstand the tremendous force of Leksa brutal pounding. Bones cracked, blood sprayed against the walls, ceiling and floor around her, and she was showing no signs of letting up.

Just as a third  _Ripa_  rounded the corner and dodged Leksa's wide sweeping arm Linkon snapped out of his momentary shock and ran head long into the newcomer, tackling him to the ground with more speed than he remembers ever having. The force surprised him almost into another shocked state.

A growl of his own crawled up his itching and burning throat as he crouched over the felled  _Ripa_. His hand snapped down without his conscious command, took aggressive possession of the  _Ripa's_  throat and pulled back violently taking large chunks of flesh, muscle and cartilage with it.

The  _Ripa_  thrashed about on the ground, clutching its torn open throat as blood bathed the floor, walls, and Linkon himself. By the time the  _Ripa_  stopped moving Linkon was covered from head to toe in the stale and slightly congealed blood.

It was then that he remembered his sister and the two  _Ripas_  she was fighting and when he looked over in her direction he gaped at what he saw.

Leksa was also covered in blood.

So much blood that with her added physical changes it made her look like a feral beast from old lore or a nightmare.

One  _Ripa_  lay unmoving and headless at her feet it's broken bones protruding out of torn skin all over its body. She growled lowly and examined the other  _Ripa_  that she was holding by its mutilated leg while it's almost severed head dangled lifelessly a few inches off the ground.

" **It smells of dead human flesh. It's like us, but not like us, foul** …  **tainted**."

The voice coming from his sister was hers, but not hers all at once.

He could tell she wasn't the only one talking, he could tell that there was something else in there with her, just the same as he could tell that below the heavy surface of his consciousness there was something else with him and in him as well.

"Leksa, we must go."

She dropped the lifeless body of the  _Ripa_  she was examining and looked over at Linkon briefly before taking off around the corner the  _Ripas_  had come from.

A split second later when he rounded the corner himself he could see light at the end of the passageway and a brief glance of Leksa's broad back as she crossed over the threshold and back into the forest.

When Linkon made it outside he saw that it was dawn, the sun was barely breaking over the treetops and Leksa was standing in the middle of a clearing sniffing the air.

He realized that she was probably trying to sniff out something familiar, so he too tilted his head back and scented the air around him.

They both picked up on the scent that matched theirs the closest and a split second after that Leksa took off at full speed to follow it with Linkon hot on her trail.

Leksa basked in the freedom of being in the open again. The blood that had been boiling in her veins and fueling her rage simmered slightly and she could almost feel her body relaxing and getting smaller in size.

She glanced around her surroundings as she instinctively dodged trees that flew by her. The burning in her throat increased the closer she got to the smell she was tracking. She could feel Linkon coming up beside her but he was no threat so she kept moving and increasing her speed as her mind told her that she would find relief wherever the smell led her.

Linkon could feel it, the sudden change as he started to recognize the direction they were heading to and what it could mean if they made it to their destination as they currently were.

"Leksa, No! We have to stop!"

She made no indication that she heard a word he said, instead she picked up speed to where he couldn't keep up with her. He started to fall behind as the forest surrounding their village came into view.

The sun finally broke through the tree coverage and as it hit his skin he faltered slightly in his rapid stride as it felt like every inch of exposed skin on his body was beginning to sizzle.

Up ahead he could see that Leksa noted the change as well but she didn't let it deter her from her target.

Their village.

" _Skrish_! No no no no no…"

Linkon doubled his efforts to catch up to her, not knowing if she meant the village harm or not, not even knowing if  _ **he**_  meant the village harm himself. There was a sweet alluring scent coming from the direction of their home, a scent that sang of relief, life, and an end to the pain in his throat. He could tell that nothing good would come of falling under the spell of that scent.

As the village gates came into view Linkon knew it was too late, but just as Leksa was about to barrel out of the forest there were blood curdling screams coming from over the village walls. Men, women, children, screams of horror and pain and the rapidly increasing scent of blood, shit, and death.

Leksa broke through the iron gates leading into the village like they weren't even there. She looked around at the chaos and her blood started to boil again. There were more of her kind here, she could smell them.

Linkon skidded to a stop next to her larger form and they both looked around at the carnage before them. There were dead and bloodied bodies everywhere, some of them ripped limb from limb, others missing heads, and a few with their backs torn open as they apparently tried to crawl to safety.

Leksa and Lincoln both let out a cross between a threatening furious growl and a desperate whimper as they took in the mutilated bodies of their people.

The winds changed and they picked up on the distinct scent of their kin, they both moved as one as they followed that scent to their childhood home.

When they came upon the large hut of the Chief they could see their mother and father on their knees in front of a bald man wearing a dark cloak and welding a large blade as he circled them. His bright red eyes feasting on the sight of their crying mother as he ran his tongue over his lips in clear hunger.

Just then another figure stepped out from behind the house and Lincoln gasped at who it was.

Kostia stepped up beside the man with the blade, she was just as large and foreboding looking as Leksa, and just as changed in her physical appearance.

Leksa gazed into the face of the newcomer, she recognized the female of her kind in the same way that she recognized Linkon,but she was not kin. Her eyes were the same red rimmed in fiery gold that she remembered seeing reflecting back at her in the water basin, but hers were lifeless, almost clouded.

Just as Leksa and Linkon both made a move to step into view the man with the blade spoke.

"Eat up my pet, we have a long journey ahead of us."

At that Kostia lunged, first at the screaming woman before her, tearing her head from her shoulders in one lethal movement and then at the man who tried to scramble away. She tore into his back sending flesh and blood flying in different directions the rest of it spraying onto her own body as she reached into the newly opened cavity and viciously pulled out his spinal cord.

Linkon couldn't move, there was something clawing at his insides, his vision started to tunnel into blackness. The sun continued to beat down on him further heating the rage that had steadily been increasing since he entered the village and he blacked out.

Leksa wasn't faring any better, in fact she was a lot worse off.

_**Avenge your kin. Tear into them!** _

The voice that had been her constant companion since awakening took on a physical presence in her mind. It scratched at her consciousness as if asking to be let out, she lowered whatever barriers were keeping it in and it tapped into something primal that was always there. Something ancient that had been with her since birth.

Once the two things came together and formed a bond the blood rage that ensued was euphoric and she gave herself up to it.

She raised her face to the sky and she could feel the sun peeling away at her skin, but she didn't care, there was a fire already inside of her that was burning so much brighter and hotter.

She let out a roar that had the birds in the surrounding trees fleeing frantically. When the man with the blade looked over in their direction he had a maniacal grin on his face.

"Ah, there you both are, the pureblood and the failure."

He circled around Kostia who was now feeding on her two kills like a rabid dog before coming to a stop to face them resting the large blade in his hand against his shoulder.

"Two out of three in one village of this size isn't bad. The two purebloods I can use, but you…" he flashed directly in front of Linkon in the blink of an eye, "I have no use for." As the last words left his mouth his canines descended and he hissed before sinking his blade deep into Linkon's gut, picking him up off the ground with it and throwing him off to the side.

Leksa moved before she knew what she was doing, but as soon as she got within reach of the blade wielding demon a large body crashed into her side sending her flying into Linkon's prone body. He was twisting in pain alternating between clutching the gaping hole in his gut and clawing at his burning skin that was starting to peel away one layer at a time.

Just as Leksa started to get back up, trying to ignore her own burning flesh several other large figures, who smelt and looked like her and Kostia started to come out from behind huts all around her.

"Leksa, last daughter of the Chief of the Trikru clan, pureblood and the rightful leader of the Amazonian clans... Today marks your death and the decimation of your wretched bloodline. Today I wipe your clan out of existence."

While keeping her eyes on the beasts surrounding her and her screaming brother, Leksa crouched down into a protective stance and addressed the blade wielder.

" **Who are you?!"**

He let out a harsh laugh as he looked around at his other pets as if they were in on some kind of joke.

"I am your uncle Tristan girl and I will claim my right to the Amazonian clans after I've wiped out my useless Brother's tarnished bloodline."

Just as he was getting ready to give the signal for the rest of his "pets" to attack and rip Leksa apart dozens of shadowy figures converged on the village. They brandished bright silver blades that sliced through the surprised beasts closing in on Leksa and Linkon. When she realized that this would turn into a bloodbath she turned around to pick Linkon up so they could escape in the chaos but he wasn't there.

She turned around frantically trying to find him but he was nowhere to be seen. As she looked back across the clearing she could see that the shadowy figures were cutting down every beast in sight, but out of the corner of her eye she could see the blade wielder escaping with Kostia at his side.

She made to go after them but then she heard Linkon's screams pierce the air again. Her eyes shifted from the direction she saw the blade wielder and Kostia disappear and then back in the direction she could hear her brother screaming.

_**Save your kin.** _

At the command Leksa darted off to the other side of the village where she could see the shadowy figures tying Linkon to a post along with three other men that had the same red eyes that Linkon and her uncle have.

One of the figures removed its hood and she could see that he too had the same eyes. In fact as she looked around to the other figures steadily closing in on her with their blades drawn she realized that they all had red eyes and they all smelt similar to Linkon, she could even detect that she was giving off the same smell as well.

Leksa growled warningly as she backed her body up in Linkon's direction trying to put herself between them and him. He was no longer screaming but instead he was looking up into the sun with a haunting smile on his face as more charred skin started to fall away from his bald head and shoulders.

Just as she was getting ready to make a grab for him they descended on her. She was stronger than any one of them, but in numbers reaching into the high 2o's she knew she couldn't fight them off and get Linkon out in one piece.

She roared in anger as blades started to sink into her flesh, stabbing, cutting, and hacking.

" **Linkon! _Gonplei_!** "

As the words left her mouth in a desperate fashion trying to reach her brother who seemed to be completely lost in insanity his face lowered from the sky, their eyes met, he bared his fangs and let loose a loud growl before snapping the iron shackles keeping him bound to the post.

He flashed over to his sister in his crazed state and started to rip the arms and legs off of the cloaked figured cutting away at her. Once she was free she dashed over to another oncoming group of them growling viciously and ripping into them as well. There were dismembered limbs flying in all directions as the two siblings wreaked havoc on the figures surrounding them.

Off in the distance two lone figures sat in the trees watching the situation unfold.

"Callie, we should intervene." The male said glancing over at the silent female before looking back at the massacre taking place.

"There is something different about them, these are the newborns?"

He nodded in confirmation, "Yes, the trackers followed them here from Tristan's stronghold."

"They will kill many of the enforcers before any can stop them."

"Yes, but they will not survive. There are more enforcers on their way, this situation is worse than the Triad originally assumed. That mountain was filled to bursting with his violent failed experiments."

Callie considered their options carefully. It was always their intention to leave the royal coven and start their own, but what they are thinking of doing is a betrayal of their oath to the vampire kings and queen and goes against their orders to remain unseen and out of the fray as they investigated Tristan's purposes in his homeland.

They'd been on the mission for the last decade and have since been able to go completely undetected by Tristan, his  _Ripas_  and the native human tribes in the area.

"If we do this there is no turning back Marcus. If we do this, these two newborns become our responsibility."

Marcus shifted his gaze back to the village as the siblings continued to viciously defend each other against the unit of enforcers that continued to rain down on them.

"I know my love, but you've seen their people you know what she is. No other of her kind has survived the change with this much control over their rage and the boy should have been dead by now, but he keeps fighting."

Callie considered his words one more time before she dropped from the tree and moved into the village swiftly. Marcus quickly followed her and as they made their way towards the siblings they skillfully decapitated every other vampire they came across in the enforcer unit they had dispatched to raid Tristan's stronghold in the mountains.

As they got closer to Leksa and Linkon the only enforcers remaining were the ones in direct combat with the newborns.

Leksa saw the two approaching figures first, thinking that they were reinforcements for her attackers she lunged at them catching the male by the arm and ripping it from its socket.

Marcus let out a pain filled howl and rolled away from the enraged female newborn while Callie quickly dispensed of the remaining enforcers surrounding them.

When all of the enforcers laid headless and truly dead around them she turned her eyes first to her injured mate and then to the large female newborn that still had her mate's arm in her grasp.

The male newborn could be seen flat on his back on the ground gasping and twitching as the sun above continued to beat down on him.

Callie and Marcus could both begin to feel the first stages of sun exposure now that they were out of the tree coverage and they knew that they needed to get the newborns and themselves into cover if they were going to survive.

What she was going to ask Marcus to do would expend a great deal of energy especially now that he was injured. It was dangerous but they'd come too far and they had no other options.

"Marcus, you must try to compel her to sleep. We have to get out of the sun. Now."

Marcus could hear the urgency in his mate's voice as she slowly approached the defensive newborn female.

He locked away the pain he could feel from his missing arm focusing intently on the large muscular girl before him and when she finally made eye contact he struck.

His eyes turned pure white locking her in a trance, he could feel her fighting it, and he could feel her berserker ability and vampire beast fighting the compulsion as well. He briefly thought he wouldn't be able to hold her but Just as he was getting ready to let go of her mind or risk his own death from excretion the newborn male let out a pained whimper and that caused the female's concentration to falter as she whimpered in return.

"We only want to help you child, let go. Let me in." Marcus' dulcet tone started to penetrate the newborn female's defenses and she started to let him in.

"That's right, we only want to help… Sleep, you're safe and your brother is safe. Sleep…"

Leksa could feel her muscles unwinding, her eyes drooping, her large body falling to the floor and then nothing.

Once the female newborn was asleep Callie approached her, picked up Marcus' detached arm, and threw it over to him before bending down and picking up the female's enormous body like it weighed nothing.

Marcus caught his arm and walked over to the male newborn who was barely holding on to what remained of his undead life. The large majority of his skin was blackened and threatening to peel away from his bones and Marcus briefly dropped his detached arm so that he could pick the boy up and throw him over his unharmed shoulder. Once Linkon was secure across his back he bent back down, picked up his arm and hastily followed his mate back into the forest.

**(Clarke's POV)**

****Present Day****

"They took us deep into the forest to a cave rarely visited by anyone, they'd made a home out of it to keep themselves hidden while they were investigating Tristan. Callie was able to reattach Marcus' arm, it took nearly a month to heal completely and to this day he has a nasty scar where I ripped it from its socket. It took two months for me to get my beast and my berserker ability under lock and key again and for my body to revert back to its human form. Two months in which only Callie was able to calm me when I lost control, two months of rage and hunger that almost drove me insane. If it weren't for Callie I would have gone off on a berserker fueled blood rage where I would have drained everything and everyone I came across dry."

Lexa finally turned away from the window, she'd been staring out at the rain the entire time she was telling me about her change as if the whole scene was replaying for her in the sheets of water outside. Her eyes were black when she looked at me, I could tell she was wasn't angry instead it was sadness that hid in the depths of her gaze.

"It took half a year for Lincoln to fully heal from sun exposure and he was lucky the damage to his body didn't leave his skin permanently scarred. My berserker ability protected me from the same fate for the most part, it slowed the effects of the sun exposure so I never made it past the first stage of the symptoms but he wasn't as lucky since he is only a vampire. No one is supposed to survive sun exposure once it gets to delirium and madness. If it wasn't for Marcus and Callie I would have lost him and then I would have lost myself."

I understood what she was saying. I understood the gravity of what happened on that day and the risk that Callie and Marcus took in saving the two of them.

"Lincoln and I come from a long line of true berserkers. It is why our family always sat in the seat of power. Our blood holds the purest form of the berserker gene and all others at the time could only lay claim to being a watered down version of it. Berserkers should never be made into vampires, the duality between the vampire beast and the berserker rage are two things that should never mix in one being."

Once she said this I voiced the question that was burning in the back of my mind.

"Why was your uncle turning your people into vampires?"

Lexa sat down on the edge of my bed and turned her body to face me.

"Once Lincoln and I were both back on our feet and we'd been with Callie and Marcus for about a year living in the cave and learning how to control ourselves, they told us why Tristan was back in the amazon in the first place. He was turned into a vampire a decade before Lincoln and I were born. My father thought he had died in battle when he didn't return home after the last great clan war, but in reality he was turned by a vampire who was in bloodlust and taken to North America."

She moved back onto the bed and I shifted over to give her back her spot as I situated myself against her side again.

"After his newborn years he returned to our territory with a few other vampires he'd formed a tentative coven with. They built a stronghold inside a nearby mountain that my people believed to be sacred land never to be trespassed on and that's when they began to take villagers to experiment on them. He knew about the Berserker gene that many of us carried and as he abducted men and women from the surrounding clans. He and the other vampires with him started to bite them in an attempt to make stronger vampires with the ability to go into blood rages on demand."

She paused for a while as she gathered her thoughts. I ran my right hand up and down her side and nuzzled into her neck to offer her comfort as she carried on her story.

"For a long while the vampires they created from their abductions all turned out to be defects, they were unintelligent, animalistic, and permanently ravenous. They were known to my people as  _Ripas_. They lurked in our forests and raided our villages regularly taking their captives back to the stronghold in the mountain for turning."

We were silent for a long while as I wondered if Lexa still mourned her people that were turned and massacred by Tristan and his followers. Especially the memory of Costia murdering and eating her parents.

_**That isn't a burden I would be able to live with…** _

"So what exactly were Callie and Marcus doing in the Amazon?"

She smiled slightly at this.

"I don't know if it was fate or coincidence, but our royal coven known as the Triad who create and enforce our laws dispatched them to the rainforest to investigate claims they heard of a rogue vampire building an army. They spent years out in the forest watching us and watching Tristan in order to report back to the two kings and queen. When Tristan figured out that he needed purer stock of the berserker gene to create his perfect killing machine his  _Ripas_  started to hunt highborns starting with the smaller clans around us that resulted in creatures that were closer to perfection but not quite perfect enough. They were stronger, faster, bigger, and more bloodthirsty than the  _Ripas_  but they had no way of balancing both the vampire beast and their berserker ability."

Realization finally dawned on me and I understood why the  _Ripas_  went after Lincoln, Lexa and Costia specifically.

"He sent the  _Ripas_  after you and Lincoln because he knew your bloodline was the purest form of the berserker gene in the area. Costia was just in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

Lexa nodded grimly.

"He knew that if what he wanted was ever going to work it would work on Lincoln and I. He was half right."

Lexa chuckled dryly before she continued. I tightened my arm around her midsection in an effort to offer her more comfort.

"Genetics are a funny thing. Lincoln and I are fraternal twins. He was born a few minutes before me and the berserker gene completely skipped him and passed on to me in an almost concentrated fashion, as if I got his share of it. When Tristan's  _Ripa_  bit Lincoln, instead of it turning him into a vampire berserker or a  _Ripa_  himself, it just turned him into an average vampire with a potent emphatic ability, so Tristan called him a failure. He found success with other highborns who could unleash both the berserker and the beast but they were mindless like Kostia… but with me, I was strong enough. I was able to maintain my own consciousness while my vampire beast and the berserker rampaged."

Lightning suddenly struck and lit up the room and I could see that Lexa's eyes were still pitch black.

_**I wish I knew what I could do to see her honey gold eyes again.** _

"Callie and Marcus later realized that although I was fully conscious while in berserker mode it wasn't me controlling the ability it was Heda."

"Who's Heda?"

I didn't recognize the name as one she mentioned while telling me about her past but it seemed important.

"Heda is the name of my Beast. She is very much her own entity and I share this body with her. I am her Vassal and she is what makes me a vampire. All vampires are vassals for their beasts and we cannot survive without each other."

I thought this over for a while and realized that this is very much the supernatural version of having Dissociative Personality Disorder.

_**I guess it's healthier when it's a vampire that has it or maybe not…** _

"So from the time you woke up from your change to the time Marcus put you to sleep Heda was in control?"

"For the most part, yes. She was only in control of the Berserker not me, she cannot control both states of consciousness at once. She kept the berserker from taking hold completely which allowed me to maintain a relatively calm state of mind. Had she not have been as strong as she is, I would have turned out exactly like Costia, a berserker with no control of its actions easily manipulated by anyone with the ability to do so."

She lifted her hand that was resting on the bed and laced our fingers together before laying our clasped hands across her stomach.

"Heda used a lot of energy to contain my ability that day, it could have killed us. I was weak and defenseless for the two months that it took us to recover, and having a weakened beast is not a safe state for a vampire to remain in for long. Callie and Marcus abandoned their duties to the Triad to stay with Lincoln and I while we recovered. They became fugitives for decades thereafter as they chose to remain with us and start a coven. It wasn't until 200 years later when Lincoln found Bellamy and Octavia that we returned to the royal coven to seek their pardon so that we could live peaceful without the fear of enforcers tracking us down and issuing the true death."

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, I asked more questions about Lexa's life with Callie, Marcus, and Lincoln once they left South America after Lincoln and Lexa's newborn years. She told me all about the different places they traveled to and lived in and she also told me about some of the different supernaturals that they encountered.

When dinner time rolled around my stomach let loose an embarrassing groan, I realized that after Lexa got back from her hunt and I had breakfast I hadn't gotten back up off the bed to even use the bathroom while she explained how she and Lincoln were turned.

"I think Jake will be home soon. I should probably check in with the family before I come back for the night."

I didn't want her to go but I knew I kept her hostage in my room all day and she probably had things she needed to take care off.

She got up from the bed and started to slip her clothes and boots back on as I walked her over to the window.

"I'll leave the window open for you again, hurry back."

I felt a little guilty asking her to hurry back but I knew I wouldn't be able to go long without having her close by.

"I won't be long  _ai hodnes_."

She leaned down and placed a gentle and lingering kiss on my lips before she slipped out of the window and into the downpour outside.

I stuck my head out and tried to track her movement into the woods behind my house but lost her quickly because of the steady downpour and her speed.

Once I knew she was long gone I closed my window and made my way to the bathroom to relieve myself before grabbing my phone to call my mother as promised. Then going to make some dinner for Dad and I for when he finally gets home.

_**Intensely insightful day, I don't know how my life could possibly get any more convoluted…** _

Little did I know, we were barely scratching the surface…

**A/N:**

**Trigedasleng used in this chapter:**

_Ripas_  – Murderers (referred to as Reapers in canon)

_Skrish! – Shit!_

_Chon yu bilaik?!_  – Who are you?!

_Osir gonplei ste nou odon_  – Our fight is not over.

_Gonplei - Fight_

**There you have it people, the longest chapter so far with one of the most important back stories in the fic. This was hands down my favorite chapter to write to date (My favorite to edit as well. ~Lupa). I really hope you all enjoyed it. The next update probably won't come until the end of the weekend because this was such a behemoth to get through, it needed to be perfect and my poor brain needs a brief rest.**

**Now that you know how Lexa and Lincoln were turned and you have a firmer understanding of the bond that they have to Callie and Marcus I'm excited to continue building on that bond as the story gets more complex, it's gonna be great!**

**Now be a good sport and let Lupa and I know what you thought of this Chapter, any feedback is good feedback at this point lol**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**(Clarke's POV)**

By the time Dad made it back from work it was close to eight and Lexa hadn't made it back yet. He ruffled my hair on his way through the kitchen into the dining room and took his seat at the head of the table.

"What are we having for dinner Princess?"

I placed a plate of spaghetti in front of him before grabbing my own and sitting at the other end of the table.

"Did the crews get the road cleared?"

He took a few bites of his food before he responded and I could tell just how tired he was after basically working 36 hours straight.

"They were mostly done by the time I left, if the rain doesn't start up again it should be clear by morning. Missing school already?" he jokingly asked.

"Hardly, just wanted to know if I would be able to sleep in tomorrow."

We spent a good portion of the meal eating in silence before he spoke up again.

"So, did you and the Woods girl have a good time?"

I froze with my fork halfway to my mouth.

_**Play it cool Clarke…** _

"Uhm, it—it was g-good. Yeah good… You know, if you've seen one beach and you've seen them all right?"

I threw in a forced awkward laugh for good measure as he gazed across the table at me like he was trying to figure something out.

_**Excellent job idiot.** _

As I continued to internally berate myself he offered me a measured smile and returned to his food.

"She seems like a good kid. Her name was Lexa right?"

I was getting visibly nervous about this line of questioning, not because I was worried about him finding out that Lexa and her family are vampires but more because of my budding relationship with her.

"Yeah, Lexa."

I left it at that hoping that he would choose something else to talk about.

"So, are you going to be spending a lot of time with her? You two seemed to have hit it off from what little I saw."

_**No such luck…** _

"Yeah, maybe."

I started to push the remains of my food around on my plate having lost my appetite as a direct result of this line of questioning. My parents don't know anything about me ever having any romantic or sexual interest in my own gender; up until two days ago I was just as much in the dark about that particular fact as they currently are.

Just as he was getting ready to ask another question I was saved by the house phone ringing. He glanced over to me before getting up to answer it.

"You cooked, I'll take care of the dishes."

I smiled at him before jumping up from my seat to make a quick escape, more than eager to avoid any further questioning pertaining to my 'friendship' with Lexa Woods.

I spent a solid two hours completing the assigned reading for my classes before deciding to get my shower out of the way. The pressure in my chest was starting to make itself known again, leading to thoughts of Lexa and when she would get back.

After getting out of the shower and finding that she still wasn't in my room, I wanted to text or call her but at the same time I didn't want to start being needy after only two days of this… whatever this is that we're doing.

Being a vampire's mate should probably be infinitely more terrifying than I'm currently finding it but as more time passes the freak out that I've been waiting on seems to get further and further away.

I closed my bedroom door, turned the main lights off, and unlocked my window before crawling into bed.

I could still smell Lexa on my sheets. What remained of her scent seemed to be helping the ache in my chest, dulling the discomfort just enough for it to be tolerable.

It wasn't long before I spaced out while going over the events of the last two days and everything that Lexa told me about her past. I found myself wondering about what Lexa would have been like if she was never turned into a vampire. I even found myself wondering about Costia and whether or not she was still alive and under Tristan's control.

I was deep in thought when I felt a dip in the bed, looking over to where I felt the movement I came face to face with Lexa.

As my eyes traveled the length of her body, clad in just her small tank top and panties, she lifted the edge of the blanket and slipped underneath bringing her body inline with my own.

"Hi."

She continued to silently gaze at me and I could see that her eyes were slightly darker than they were before she left.

_**Isn't hunting supposed to help with that?** _

I brought my hand up to her face and ran my thumb under her right eye, she nuzzled into my palm only allowing her lids to flutter closed briefly before her penetrating gaze locked on me once again.

"I thought you were going to hunt before coming back tonight?"

She hadn't said anything since arriving, so I just continued to watch her watching me; her gaze periodically shifted from my eyes, to my lips and then onto my throat as they continued to darken.

This close I could see her nostrils flaring as she took in deep pulls of my scent. It was hard to tell whether it was hunger or lust that was causing her eyes to steadily dim to complete blackness but what I did know was that my body was starting to react with a swiftness.

Lexa snaked her right arm around my torso and pulled my body into hers as she positioned her nose right in the area where my neck meets my shoulder.

"Lexa…"

Her name came out slightly shaky as my body rolled into hers causing her to let out a deep growl that I could feel vibrating and centering in my core.

Without warning Lexa skillfully rolled me onto my back positioning herself between my legs before grinding up into the heat that continued to build at the center of my being.

A strangled gasp escaped my throat as I used my right hand to thread my fingers through her soft hair and my left to possessively grasp at the rolling muscles in her back. I tipped my head back into the pillow exposing more of my neck to her as she continued to suck and nip at the sensitive skin I offered her.

Alarm bells were attempting to drown out the overwhelming arousal coursing through my system. I knew I shouldn't be submitting to her bite this easily but my skin felt itchy and warm everywhere we were making physical contact.

I wanted her to sink her teeth into the soft sensitive flesh and muscle of my neck while she claws at my skin and rolls her hips into my core bringing me to a quick and aggressive release.

Lexa finally pulled herself from my neck trailing wet sucking kisses up my throat and across my jaw before taking possession of my mouth in a kiss that quickly escalated to raw need and aggression.

Lexa continued to roll her hips into me and I brought both of my legs up to wrap around her in an effort keep her as close as possible while meeting her thrust for thrust.

_**God she feels so fucking good on top of me…** _

I tore my lips away from hers and groaned in both satisfaction of being possessively mounted and frustration at not being able to feel her completely naked against me.

This was apparently enough time for her to realize what we were about to do because in an instant she was off of me and standing by the window.

I could hear her whimper and lightly growl with her back flat against the wall while I had struggles of my own, since I could barely get my breathing back under control. My legs lay obscenely spread for her continued view and pleasure as I willed myself not to launch out of the bed to go after her.

It was a long while before anything other than our combined heavy breathing could be heard in the Lexa's voice broke the near silence it was strained and her words we clearly calculated.

"Forgive me Clarke, I took that a lot further than I originally planned to."

I pulled myself up into a seated position on the bed, drawing my legs up into my body in an effort to apply a little bit of pressure to my throbbing center. I knew she was waiting for my response but all I was capable of doing was nodding repeatedly while attempting to swallow back the lump that was beginning to form in my throat.

She moved back over to the bed sitting down on the edge closest to me and cupped my face between her palms.

"Clarke, talk to me. Please..."

I could hear the slight panic in her voice and I didn't want her to think that she'd done anything wrong. It all happened a bit faster than I would have liked, but at the same time I really couldn't complain, especially since I was so desperate for her to throw me down and do it all over again.

"You don't have to apologize. I was enjoying that as much as you were and probably wouldn't have minded continuing…"

She glanced up at me and in the darkness of her gaze I could make out the guilt that was lurking beneath the surface.

I used the index finger of my right hand to tilt her face up towards mine and placed a soft kiss on her lips before pulling back and making eye contact with her again.

"It's really okay. Don't worry about it."

She hesitated a bit before nodding and accepting my dismissal of any negative feelings surrounding our overly sexual encounter.

"Are your eyes black because of what just happened or because you didn't hunt?"

She crawled back into the bed beside me, I curled my body into hers as she pulled the covers that she'd knocked down to the bottom of the bed in her escape back over us.

"I did hunt  _hodnes_ … It just wasn't as satisfying as I would have hoped."

It sounded like there was more to the story, but if she really wanted me to know she would have just shared it so I let it go for now.

"Get some sleep, the rain has stopped we have school in the morning."

I groaned at the reminder and snuggled further into her embrace, breathing in her scent and closing my eyes.

"Goodnight Lexa."

She threaded her fingers through my hair and kissed me on the forehead before responding.

"Goodnight  _ai hodnes_ , I will be here when you wake."

**(Lexa's POV)**

Clarke has been in a deep sleep for the last four hours. Heda is completely calm and at ease with her securely wrapped in our arms. I've kept my arms firmly but gently wrapped around her midsection with her back pressed up against my front since she fell asleep.

I can't believe how fast everything has happened in only a matter of about 48 hours but I've finally found my  _True Mate_  and I couldn't be happier. As I watch her sleep I notice once again just how beautiful she and it just makes me even more grateful to have finally found her.

Clarke talks in her sleep, something that I am not entirely sure she is aware of. Her random mumblings throughout the night about purple dinosaurs and popsicles provide ample entertainment for me and it really helped to pass the time as she slept.

Humans are strange creatures. I don't remember much of my human life and I have never watched a human sleep before but it seems like Clarke had very lucid and eclectic dreams if her murmurings were anything to go by. Most of what she says are random things that make no sense at all but every now and then I'll hear her say my name and it warms my weakly beating heart every time I hear it rolling off her tongue.

_**It feels good to know that she's dreaming about me.** _

As I watch her sleep and I felt her body try to shift even closer and I'm reminded of the unusual rate in which our bonding process is progressing. I'm worried about explaining the side effects of the bonding energy that Heda released during our first physical contact to her.

I'm worried that she will be repulsed by the idea of me feeding on her or that she will feel fear towards me.

What happened earlier was a clear indicator that I would have to tell her sooner rather than later. I almost couldn't stop myself once I realized that she was receptive to my advances, the unsatisfying hunt lead to hunger and the hunger lead to need as soon as her scent blanketed me. Her warm body invited me in like a long lost companion and I wanted nothing more than to sink into her and take her into me in any way possible.

Deep in the recesses of my mind I know that she won't react badly to the news, Heda growls in my head agreeing with that sentiment. I'm still weary, she is still only human. Even though she's been reacting way better than I could have ever expected the coward in me couldn't stand the thought of rejection, especially coming from my mate.

As the hours continue to pass I became faintly aware of the smell of arousal coming from Clarke as she shifts around in my arms rubbing her ass against my center.

_**Shit… What's she dreaming about?** _

Then the mumbling started.

"Uh, Lexa…" she releases a moan that I felt flow into my body and settle in between my legs. The moaning turned into groaning as she continued to grind her ass back into me.

The smell of my arousal mixed in with hers started to permeate the air around us and it was taking all of my self-control not to wake her up and do something about both of our needs.

I immediately stopped breathing knowing that Clarke wasn't ready for us to take that step and that I wasn't ready to make that move with her either. Everything was moving fast enough as it is and I want her to be able to preserve as much of the feelings that come along with a normal relationship as possible.

It was now 7am, I could hear Jake's heart rate changing in the room at the other end of the hallway indicating that he was waking up and would be getting ready to go to work.

As these thoughts cross my mind I began to gently untangle myself from Clarke and quietly slip off of the bed.

The last thing that we needed to happen was for Jake to come check on his child only to find a half-naked predator in bed with her.

As I stood next to the bed looking over her body I watched her turn around and reach out for me in her sleep. I smiled at this and took the pillow that my head was resting on placing it within her reach.

Clarke immediately curls around it and takes a few unconscious deep breaths into the fabric of the pillow where my scent was probably still lingering.

I looked around her room for a place to hide just in case Jake comes to check on her before he leaves for work and my eyes landed on her closet.

_**This is only slightly ironic.** _

I could hear Jake's footsteps as he started to make his way down the hall so I flash around her bed, across the room to the closest door and stepped inside closing the door behind me just as he started to turn the handle to enter her room.

I remained in the closet as Jake stepped into the bedroom and walked over to the side of Clarke's bed.

"Princess?" I can hear him whispering and the low sound of fabric moving.

"Huh?" Clarke sounded very groggy as she responded to him.

"Are you awake? I'm leaving for work now. Shouldn't you be getting up to get ready for school?"

I can hear more fabric moving around indicating that Clarke was sitting up.

"Yeah Dad, thanks, I'll see you later tonight. What time will you be home?"

"I'm working a double shift again today so I probably won't be back until well after 10pm. Will you be okay on your own?"

I could hear Clarke yawning and her heart rate changing indicating that she was fully awake now.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't work too hard, I'll see you tomorrow then I guess."

"Yeah kiddo, be good call me if you need anything. Make sure you call and check in with your mother, I'm sure she thinks I've lost you be now or that you're in a ditch somewhere."

Jake and Clarke both chuckled at his comment and I could hear him giving her a kiss before he took his leave.

Once Clarke's door closed again I waiting to hear Jake go down the stairs, exit the front door and get into his car.

I turned all my attention back to her as her heart rate sped up dramatically and the fabric on her bed started to ruffle loudly.

"Lexa?" Her voice was laced with worry and anxiety so I immediately opened the closet door to show her that I was still here and I didn't leave.

"I'm right here Clarke, what's wrong?" I said as I exited the closet I flashed over to the side of her bed and stood right in front of her cupping her cheeks between my hands. She placed both of her hands over mine and closed her eyes taking a deep breath.

"I thought you left." After a few moments she opened her eyes and looked up at me.

"I had a feeling your father would check on you before he left for work and I figured he might not have been too receptive to finding me half-naked in your bed, I thought it best to go hide in your closet before I was discovered. I'm sorry if I worried you. I know you are probably not ready to have that conversation with him yet."

Realization dawned on her as I took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Oh okay, that makes sense. I guess it's a good thing one of us is careful huh?"

I laughed at her comment.

"Yes, it would appear so."

Clarke looked me in the eye and I could see that she was thinking really hard about something.

_**I wish I had Bellamy's ability right now.** _

I took one of her hands between mine and rubbed my thumb across her open palm in comforting circles, "What worries you  _hodnes_?"

She looked down at our joined hands before she started to speak again. "I want to tell my parents about this, not the vampire thing obviously, but… about  _ **us**_. I don't think that I can handle that conversation twice though. My Mother will be in LA until the end of the week and I would prefer to talk to them together. I just don't want you to think that this is something that I want or need to hide."

Joy immediately starts to flow throughout my body. I look into her questioning eyes and realize that she might be thinking that this is something that  _ **I**_  want or need, which was not the case at all.

"Clarke, you don't have to rush into that. I'm not going to force you to come out to your parents, or tell anyone about us, you can take your time. I can wait for as long as it takes for you to be ready to do that. I mean, everything has been moving so quickly. I feel like you haven't really had any time to really adjust and—"

She silenced my ramblings by placing the index finger of her free hand on my lips.

"I'm ready, I don't want to hide you or this," she gestured to our still joined hands, "I want the whole world to know that I'm yours and you are mine."

A large smile immediately graced my lips as I leaned over and kissed her gently, "If you are ready, I do not want to hide this either…"

"Good, but like I was saying, we'll wait to tell them when my mom gets back."

"Of course we can wait, I understand you not wanting to 'come out of the closet' twice."

I looked over to the digital clock on her bedside table and saw that it was almost 7:30.

"You should start getting ready for school. I'm going to leave while you shower so that I can go try to hunt again, what I had last night wasn't really enough... I'll get ready at my house but I can run back here so that we can head to school together. How does that sound?"

Clarke smiled at me and stood from the bed. I followed suit and got dressed before I stood in front of her.

"That sounds great… I'll miss you." She closed the small distance between us and wrapped her arms around my midsection pulling me into her body placing her lips against the side of my neck leaving feather light kisses on my skin. Her attentions quickly awaken my arousal, before things got even more heated I pull away and step out of her arms after placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be back by the time you're ready to leave." I opened her window and perched myself on its edge, looking back at her over my shoulder one last time.

"Okay, enjoy your hunt. Hope it goes better this time."

I smiled at her then jumped out of the window and raced across her backyard into the woods behind her house.

It took me 5 minutes to pick up the scent of a mountain lion and as I approached it picked up on my presence and started to run.

I raced after it jumping onto its back before it could duck between two trees and out of my reach. I wrapped my legs around its middle and my arms around its neck. I quickly sunk my fangs into its neck, as we crashed into the ground I snapped its neck all in one go.

I basked in the warmth of the cat's blood flowing into my mouth and down my throat. It was then that I became faintly aware of that same presence from the previous day watching me.

Once I was done I moved the body behind a nearby bush for other animals to make use of. I opened up all my senses to take in my surroundings and pick up the presence.

_**Someone or something was definitely stalking me…** _

I tried to sense if Heda was picking up on anything but she seemed to be just as confused and curious as I was. When I couldn't pick up the presence anymore I shook it off and started to head towards the house.

I was almost halfway there when I felt an incredibly uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and throat, much worse than it was the last two times I tried to feed.

I immediately stopped running and placed my hands on my stomach just before my body hunched over and I started to expel all of the blood I just ingested.

My throat burned and Heda howled in pain inside my head.

When the horrible heaving ended and I successfully regulated my breathing I once again felt the same presence watching me, but just as quickly as the feeling of being watched came it vanished.

"Who's there?!" I yelled hoping that whoever or whatever was following me would make its presence be known, but I did not get a reply nor did I pick anything up around me using my vampire senses.

I started to make my way to the house again hoping to speak with Callie about my vomiting as well as whatever is lurking in the woods.

As I approached the back porch I could smell that everyone but Marcus was home and that Callie was in her office.

I flashed into the house and went straight up to the office door before knocking on it.

"Come on in Lexa."

I enter the office and take a seat in front of her desk as she put down the file she was reading, folding her hands in front of her and offering me a relaxed smile.

"What can I do for you?"

I quickly went over what I wanted to discuss with her before I opened my mouth.

"I just hunted… after I was done, my body rejected all of the blood. It's been working up to this since yesterday. Should this be happening this quickly?"

Callie remained silent for a few moments before she began to speak again.

"It would appear that the bonding process between you and Clarke has started to progress at an alarming rate." She paused before addressing me again, "Lexa, your body has rejected the blood you ingested because it only wants Clarke's blood. Usually this doesn't occur until weeks after the physical bond but as we have been discussing, the bonding process between the two of you is anything but normal."

_**Oh god, I thought I had more time**_ …

"What should I do? I don't want to push her and I don't want her to feel obligated to do anything before we've even really gotten know each other."

Callie's gentle gaze projected her understanding, "I know Lexa, but it would appear that the choice has been taken out of both your hands. Heda needs to be at full strength so that you can be the stronger entity during this process, so that she can protect her human mate, and so that she can be closer to Clarke… That means you have to feed. If you have already begun to reject blood that means that Clarke will soon be feeling the adverse effects of the bonding and you need to take care of her wellbeing as well."

I lowered my head and placed it my face in my palms worry and fear gripping every fiber of my being.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this… I don't know if I can willingly take her choice away. What if she's repulsed by the idea of me feeding on her?"

"Lexa, you have to trust in your bond with her. After meeting Clarke I'm confident in my feeling that she will understand and be accepting but you have to let her in, you have to share all of the information with her. By not letting her know everything you are putting both of your lives at risk."

What Callie is saying makes complete sense to me and I know that I shouldn't be holding back information from Clarke, but at the same time I just wanted to hold on to any normalcy I could, not for me but for her. I just feel like this would limit or destroy the hope of our relationship progressing in any kind of normal fashion. I know that you're right… I'll talk to her today after school."

Heda growled inside my head, almost as if she was saying 'finally'.

_**Shut it you. I'm doing the best I can.** _

"That's good to hear, don't stress so much about it. I'm sure Clarke will be accepting, she's a wonderful girl  _Gona_ , strong and compassionate. I have no doubt that she will understand and I'm very happy that you've found her." Callie got up from her chair and walked around the desk to stand next to me.

"Was there anything else that you wanted to discuss?"

Remembering the presence in the woods that has been following me I immediately shared the information with her.

"Yes actually, I've been sensing something in the woods on my hunts over the last two days. It felt like something or someone is out there watching me. I tried to extend my senses to locate whatever it is but I keep getting nothing."

Callie walked over to the window in her office and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Do you think it could have possibly been one of the shifters? Maybe Finn?"

I shook my head at her question and got up from my seated position to stand next to her at the window.

"No, it wasn't one of the wolves. Not only would I have been able to smell them, but Heda would have recognized their presence."

Callie remained silent for a few minutes as the two of us continued to gaze out into the woods from her office window almost as if whatever it was that was following me would just come walking out of the foliage.

"Okay, we'll stay on our toes. We have a lot going on right now, between the wolves, Clarke and now this intruder we all need to be on top of our game if she is going to be spending more time around us. We will not let anything happen to her Lexa, you can count on that."

Callie's voice held so much certainty that Heda started to purr in comfort. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my head in her shoulder.

"Thank you."

She gave me a good squeeze in return, "Of course  _Gona_."

Once she released me I made way to my bedroom dimmed my windows and took a quick shower in the glass stall off to the right of my tub.

After finishing up I walked over to my closet to choose some clothes for the day, getting dressed and fixing my hair in its usual style before heading down the stairs to go back to Clarke's house.

As I was descending the staircase into the living room area I could smell Raven hiding behind the partition clearly making plans to try and blindside me.

_**Like hell…** _

An evil smile crossed my face as I continued to head down the staircase allowing her to think that I didn't already know she was there.

Just as I was about to place my foot on the last step she came barreling out from behind the partition heading towards me, I quickly side stepped her sticking my foot out sending her head first into the bottom of the stairs.

Her head smashed into the bottom 3 steps of the staircase sending splintered wood and pieces of concrete all over the place. As soon as the commotion ended Callie came rushing to the stop of the stairs to see what happened.

When she laid eyes on Raven's ass sticking up in the air with her head buried under the rubble that used to be the staircase her eyes flashed black before turning gold again.

"Raven Reyes!" she hollered.

Raven quickly pulled her head out of the destroyed remains of the steps and stood at attention next to me with a guilty expression plastered on her face.

"Seriously!? What have I told you about horsing around inside the house?"

She began to advance on us hopping over the destroyed remains of the bottom 3 steps and landing directly in front of a petrified Raven.

"That I shouldn't do it ma'am!" Raven answered as if she were addressing her drill instructor.

I was using all of my willpower to hold in the laugh that was threatening to spill out of my mouth.

"Well you're grounded for a week. No video games whatsoever." Callie stated and I couldn't hold it in any longer the laugh I was desperately trying to suppress finally came out and I slapped my hand over my mouth to control as much of it as possible.

Raven slumped forward as her mouth fell open and her eyes widened.

_**You would think Callie just told her she couldn't hunt for a week, she needs to get her priorities in order, videogames are NOT that important.** _

"Be reasonable Callie! Mass Effect 3 comes out today and I have it pre-ordered. I've been waiting months for this game to come out! Please don't do this to me," Raven shamelessly dropped to her knees in front of Callie with her hands clasped in front of her face prayer style, "Please! I'm begging you!"

I had to lean against the wall as I started to cackle at Raven's expense.

"Well you should have thought about that before you destroyed my staircase. You WILL be repairing it after school. No if, ands, or buts about it."

Raven hung her head and slowly got up off her knees, "Yes, ma'am…"

"Good." Callie closed the discussion by wandering off into the kitchen and I fell on the floor laughing my ass off.

"Leeeexus!" Raven started to whine, "It's not funny! I was really looking forward to playing my game this week… Oh man, this sucks major ass."

I sobered up slightly before addressing her, "Well you should know better than to try to sneak up on me. It's been over two centuries and you have yet to actually be successful in your attempts."

She kicked a piece of wood across the room that was lying by her foot and it collided with the wall.

"Raven!" Callie yelled.

Her face paled and she quickly flashed out of the house and into the woods before Callie could come back out into the living room.

I laughed at her antics before finally heading out the backdoor and into the woods to run over to Clarke's house.

_**This whole school thing will get old very quickly. Hours wasted when they could be spent in private with my mate…** _

**A/N:**

**This was mostly a filler chapter that is being used to move the plot along. I wanted to give you guys some much needed Clarke and Lexa time before we power through another day at school. The school thing will not be a major part of this story and school days will only be explored in detail when it counts towards the plot.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this update. The slight warmth in the beginning of the chapter wasn't me trying to be mean, it will get far more heated in coming chapters. You all might start telling me to ease off some, lol.**

**Let us know what you think since Lupa pretty much virtually beat me into completing this chapter for her to review it (We watch Fear The Walking Dead together on Monday nights and she HAD TO FINISH this chapter before we could watch it in my defense… ~Lupa). We both suffer from being highly prone to distraction and we get into the habit of luring each other off course with youtube videos and tumblr posts, to be honest it's a wonder we get anything done…**

**B/N:**

**So this will probably be the only time I do a beta note but I need to say this.**

**Guys, we live for your reviews. Sometimes we might have 2 chapters written (and edited) and we aren't sure when is too soon to release one because we don't have any reviews! Leave a review for us and Orange will do her damndest to get back to you and if you have a question for me she'll let me know.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:**

**I want to start off by apologizing profusely for the delay everyone. I had a personal crisis that kind of rocked my world last week, I'm just now getting over it, but it left me with little motivation to write. I finally got this done though and I have to say I am extremely happy with the outcome.**

**It's the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for. That's right people, smut and feeding ahead. You've been warned. So grab some water for the thirst I hope I induce with the scene and enjoy (^_^).**

_Orange: You think they're just about ready for us to lay it on them Lupa?_

**Lupa: Yup yup!**

_Orange: Alright, aaaannnnnnddddd…_

_*insert drumroll here*_

_Orange: GO!_

_*********************************************************************_

**Chapter 13**

**(Lexa's POV)**

As I approached her house Clarke was exiting the front door with her bag in her hand while she locked up. She was dressed in a light coral colored button up blouse with a black tank top underneath, extremely tight fitted blue skinny jeans and a pair of flat heeled black motorcycle boots.

_**Oh god she looks good…** _

I flashed over to her Mustang and leaned my body up against the driver's side door as I waited for her to come to me.

As she turned around and noticed me leaning against her car a smile spread across her face, she walked down the porch stairs and over to the car.

When she was directly in front of me I dropped my bag on the pavement and wrapped my arms around her pulling her closer.

"Hello again beautiful. I hope you didn't miss me too much." I said into her ear as I ran my nose down the length of her neck inhaling her scent.

She moaned and pressed her body tighter to mine as I groaned in return.

"I always miss you when we aren't together Lexa." She said this while rubbing small circles up and down my sides.

I pulled back slightly so that I could look into her eyes, "I missed you too  _hodnes_."

With that said I leaned in and captured her lips with mine, intending to only give her a quick kiss hello but Clarke had other plans. Her tongue snaked out of her mouth and ran across my bottom lip asking for permission to enter and I really couldn't find it in myself to refuse her.

I opened my mouth almost immediately to let her in and it was the best decision I'd made since the day started.

Clarke's tongue immediately found mine and we stood in her driveway with me pushed up against the side of her car, her warm body pressed up against mine and our tongues wrestling for dominance inside my mouth for the next 5 minutes.

_**Fuck… she tastes so good.** _

Her hands started to wonder closer to my breasts as her heart rate increased and she rubbed the length of her warm body against mine.

I knew we had to stop before things got to the point of no return and I took her in the driveway against the car in broad daylight, so I reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and took both of Clarke's wondering hands in mine.

"We need to get to school." I said looking into her eyes which shone with disappointment but there was also a hint of understanding.

"Yeah, you're right. What we were doing was way better than anything they could possibly teach us there though..."

I laughed at her comment and stepped out of her arms to walk over to the other side of the car.

Once we were both seated inside Clarke pulled out of the driveway and we were on our way. When we pulled into the parking lot I could see that Raven's Jeep was already parked in the back so I directed Clarke to park next to her.

She turned the car off and reached over for my left hand with her right interlocking our fingers.

I looked over to her and we immediately made eye contact.

"I'm ready for everyone at school to know we're together. I don't want to hide our relationship."

Clarke's words held conviction and I leaned over to her to capture her lips in a heated kiss. With my vampire hearing I could hear Raven and Bellamy cheering us on but I didn't care.

I moved my lips to her neck gently sucking on the soft and warm skin I found there.

She groaned at the action and when I pulled away I looked down to the red hickey that was left behind.

"Good, I want everyone to know as well and now they will." I smiled at her before we exited the car to join my siblings.

Octavia gave me a knowing look glancing over at Clarke's neck as I grabbed my mates' hand and we all walked through the parking lot to head into the school.

I could hear the kids whispering in shock as they all stared at our joined hands but once again I didn't care; if Clarke could hear them I don't think she would have cared either.

We parted ways with the rest of our group as we made our way to our AP English class. Clarke did not let go of my hand until we were seated in class. Before the teacher started the lesson I looked over to her and she had a huge smile on her face which in turn caused a grin to grace my lips.

The class itself was boring and I spent the majority of the time stealing glances at my mate because it wasn't as if i would miss anything important, I've already lost count of the amount of times I've sat through the exact same lesson.

_**God she's beautiful…** _

When the bell rang signaling the end of class I sighed in disappointment knowing that I wouldn't be able to see her again until lunch.

Clarke gathered her things while I waited for her to slip her bag on her shoulder and we walked hand in hand out the door into the hallway.

She faced me with our hands still joined and placed a soft lingering kiss on my lips before pulling away to speak.

A few kids in the hallway gasped but I paid them no mind whatsoever.

"I guess I'll see you at lunch then." She said with the same sadness I felt in my chest present in her tone.

"Yeah, most definitely. I'll miss you." Heda whimpered softly in agreement.

She smiled at me and let go of my hand. "I'll miss you too."

I gave her a quick peck on the lips before turning to head to class, ignoring the looks I was getting from the students still loitering in the hallway.

_**Nosey branwadas**_...

My next two classes were uneventful and I spent my time thinking about Clarke and trying to ignore the hollow feeling in my chest. The slight burning in my throat as a result of my failed hunting attempt earlier this morning was becoming ever more present and I was reminded once again that I would need to talk to Clarke about the rest of the bonding process.

When the bell indicating lunch time rung I was out of the class before anyone else and heading towards Clarke's class so that I could walk her to lunch. As I approached her classroom I could see her exiting the room. The hollow feeling in my chest vanished and the slight burning in my throat calmed down considerably.

She approached me and reached out for my hand. "Hey, how were your classes?"

I smiled at her before replying, "Boring without you."

She gave my hand a quick squeeze and we made our way to the cafeteria.

When we got closer, I could see three of the people Clarke was sitting with at lunch yesterday waiting outside the cafeteria doors.

She approached them with her hand still in mine and as we got closer I noticed the male in the group looking down at our joined hands with a disappointment etched across his face.

"Hey guys, this is Lexa. Lexa, these are my friends; Maya, Harper, and Sterling."

I had my eyes trained on the male in the group, as Heda came alive and huffed inside my head.

"Hi." I replied stiffly, unable to look away from the boy as his eyes roamed my mate's body and landed on the hickey on her neck. I smirked as I watched his face go from disappointment to jealousy. I subconsciously pulled Clarke a little closer to me causing her to snuggle in closer to my side.

_**MINE.** _

I briefly pulled my eyes away from Sterling shifting my gaze over to his companions.

The girl with the black hair gave me a genuine smile before she addressed me, "Hi Lexa, how are you liking our school?" she asked, I could tell that mine and Clarke's closeness did not bother her in the slightest, if anything she looked happy for our new found relationship.

"It's fine so far. I was able to meet Clarke here so that was a huge bonus and everyone seems nice."

Maya chuckled subtly nudging the girl standing next to her who still had her eyes trained on our joined hands.

She finally looked up at me before speaking.

"Are you guys like together or something?" she asked. I could sense the slight disgust in her tone and it made my hackles raise up defensively.

_**Small minded bitch.** _

Heda huffed in agreement.

Clarke managed to speak up before I got the chance to verbally undress her in front of all the other students passing by giving us curious looks.

"Yes actually, we are. Do you have a problem with it Harper?" Clarke's voice sounded highly defensive and slightly aggressive. The latter coming off as very sexy to me causing a smirk to come to my face.

Harper was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again, "Whatever, come on Sterling lets go."

He didn't budge.

Instead he continued to stare at the hickey on Clarke's neck.

"Actually Harper, I was hoping to talk to Clarke for a second about some homework we got in our last class." Harper huffed at him before turning to walk off into the lunch room alone.

I knew he was lying and Heda growled at me clearly not okay with Clarke talking to him alone.

Clarke looked over to me asking for permission to talk to him privately. I never want her to feel like a possession so I reluctantly let go of her hand placing a lingering kiss on the lips while making sure to keep eye contact with Sterling as I did it.

When I pulled away I looked into her eyes hungrily and licked my lips as I saw her visibly shudder and her eyes become lidded briefly.

Sterling was watching our exchange intently, his jealousy clearly burning him to the core causing Heda purred in satisfaction.

_**That's right creeper, all MINE.** _

Clarke smiled at me as I stepped back. I gestured to Sterling to start talking as Maya and I entered the lunchroom doors.

"I'm really happy for the two of you, she seems really happy." Maya said as we joined the lunch line to purchase our food. I could tell that her sentiments were genuine which I appreciated.

"Thank you Maya. I'm really happy to be with her." I offered her a smile knowing that I could probably get along with her, unlike that shrew Harper.

From where we were standing in the lunch line I could see that my siblings were already seated at our chosen table in the back corner. At the same time, I could still hear the conversation going on outside the doors between Sterling and Clarke.

" _Clarke are you seriously gay?"_  he asked her, shock and disbelief evident in his voice.

" _Why does it matter to you? I'm with Lexa because she makes me happy. I thought you wanted to talk about class?"_  I could sense that she was already getting annoyed with him.

_**She must not like this kid at all.** _

I smiled at the thought as Heda purred in approval.

" _I figured that since you and Finn broke up you would give me a chance."_  He sounded so pathetic it was almost laughable.

" _Sterling, I don't see you that way. I never have, I've told you this on many occasions."_

" _But you haven't even given me a chance Clarke. Are you sure you're gay? Maybe you just haven't met the right guy… I could be that guy. Maybe we could go out on a date, just so you can be sure you're making the right choi—"_

Maya had just paid for her food ahead of me. I picked up lunch for both myself and Clarke but right as I was getting ready to pay I heard his comment.

_**What the fuck does he think he's doing?** _

I could feel a growl rumbling in my chest. My eyes started turning black as I imagined ripping his man bits off followed by his head.

The feeling of jealousy came on so fast that I barely had time to register that I'd set down the tray promptly making my way over to the cafeteria doors.

" _What the hell Sterling?! I just got done telling you I don't see you that way. Now if you don't have anything to tell me or ask me about class I think I'm gonna go find my_ _ **girlfriend**_ _now."_

As I exited the doors I saw Sterling reach out the grab Clarke's arm to stop her from leaving.

"Clarke wait! I'm just trying to ask you out. Why are you being like this?"

I started to growl a little louder, balling up my right fist as I readied myself to knock this kid into next week for touching my mate.

_**If it's not Finn trying to manhandle her it's another asshole, what the fuck is wrong with this generation?** _

Sterling had his back facing the cafeteria doors. When Clarke's eyes landed on me they widened as she immediately shrugged out of his hold.

"Lexa…" she sounded relieved.

Just as I was getting ready to approach Sterling and give him what he had coming I felt two hands firmly grasp my shoulders directing me toward the side doors leading out to the parking lot area.

I look over my shoulder to see Bellamy and Lincoln both looking back at me with stern expressions on their faces. I could feel Lincoln pumping calming waves through my system as they both continued to lead me out the door.

Clarke could be heard in the background dismissing Sterling as she followed us out the door. I was barely holding in the anger even with Lincoln's help, if they didn't show up when they did it would have gotten real bloody real quickly in that hallway.

Once outside I felt a little better, Bellamy let go of me but Lincoln kept a firm grip on my shoulder to prevent me from going back inside.

Heda was clawing at my insides desperately trying to will me into going back inside in order to teach the cretin a lesson. I wanted nothing more than to cave to the desire but knowing that there would be devastating consequences if I did prevented me from following through.

Bellamy pinched the bridge of his nose before he addressed me.

"Lexa I heard your thoughts about that Sterling kid and Lincoln felt your emotions. Maybe it's a good idea for you to take the rest of the day off…"

I lowered my head in shame knowing that he was right.

Clarke walked over to us and stood in front of me.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up at her with an apology clearly visible in my eyes.

"I apologize Clarke, I just do not like people touching you like that; I hope I didn't scare you."

_**Please don't be afraid of me.** _

She looked shocked, "Of course not! You could never scare me Lexa; I understand why you would feel that way."

She cupped my face in her hands causing me to relaxed into her touch as a sigh left my lips.

Lincoln finally released me probably having felt the calmness that Clarke's proximity and touch induced in me.

"That is good to hear, but Bellamy is right I should probably put some distance between Sterling and myself for today. I do not trust myself around him right now."

Clarke smiled at me, "I understand. Can I come see you after school?"

I returned her smile and captured her lips in a long heated kiss that had her moaning into my mouth causing Lincoln to shuffle his feet in discomfort.

"You better." I said as we pulled apart.

She smiled at me before speaking again. "Feel better  _mate,_  I'll see you in a few hours."

Heda purred in satisfaction when Clarke referred to us as her mate for the first time and I preened along with her.

_**Mate…** _

With that said she turned around, smiled at Bellamy and Lincoln before heading back inside.

Bellamy walked over to me and placed his hand gently on my shoulder. "Go home Lexa, we'll keep an eye on Clarke for you, promise."

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his midsection in a warm hug.

"Thanks for everything," as I pulled away I looked over to my brother, "you too, that could have ended badly if you weren't here."

He walked over to me and ruffled my hair, "Anytime  _Gona_ , that's what big brothers are for after all."

Bellamy and Lincoln went back inside and once I was sure no one was lingering in the parking lot I flashed into the woods to make my way home.

When I arrived no one was there so I went up to my room to put on some music while I waited for school to be over and for Clarke to come see me. As my sound system pumped out the soothing lyrics to one of my favorite  _Lamb_  songs I figured I would just lay down on my bed and meditate.

Before I could go into a complete meditative state I looked over to my bedside table registering for the first time that a small envelope with my name on it laid neatly on top of the wooden surface.

I scooted over to the edge of the bed and picked up the envelope. Underneath it was a note in Callie's hand writing.

_**(Note)** _

_**Lexa,** _

_**I was able to get some Blood Replenishment tablets from a friend close by for you. You'll need only to dissolve one tablet into an 8oz cup of water to make the elixir.** _

_**After the tablet is dissolved rub a little onto Clarke's bite wound and then have her drink the entire cup before she goes to sleep. By the time she wakes up the ingredients in the tablets will have cloned her blood cells to replace the blood you took.** _

_**Roughly 4 hours of sleep should do the trick.** _

_**I have already informed my contact in the royal coven of your situation and you will have a reoccurring supply shortly, but until then this should hold you both over.** _

_**Love,** _

_**Callie** _

_**(End of Note)** _

I opened the envelope and shook out the contents; there were ten purple tablets inside about the size of a pencil eraser head. I put the pills back in the envelope and placed it in my bedside table drawer before stretching out on the bed again. _ **  
**_

It was around 3:30pm when I heard the familiar sound of Clarke's Mustang coming down the street. Everyone else had already come home but they all went out hunting as soon as they got here.

I jumped off my bed as I heard her cut the engine and raced outside to meet her.

When she saw me her face lit up and she ran over to me. I immediately wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug, but not tight enough to reinjure her ribs or risk crush her.

When she pulled away from me I placed my lips against hers in a lingering kiss, being careful not to deepen it or allow her to do the same because we had a very important matter to discuss. After the kiss I pulled away while keeping my arms loosely around her.

"Would you like to go somewhere with me? There's something really important that I want to talk to you about."

She looked a little worried and took a step back causing me to drop my arms but when I smiled at her and leaned in to give her a peck on her cheek she relaxed and nodded her head.

I opened my arms again for her to step in so that I could pick her up. Once I had her safely and securely against my chest with my arms supporting her back and legs, I took off into the woods heading to my thinking spot.

It's a small meadow with a beautiful stream off to the side of it. I like to go there to get away and meditate and I really wanted to share it with her.

It only took 2 minutes to get the location and when we arrived Clarke gasped as she looked over her surroundings.

"It's beautiful here Lexa, what is this place?" she started to walk over to the stream, there was a big boulder at its edge and I helped her get up on top of it before I took a seat beside her.

"It's my thinking spot, I found it the first day we moved here and I've been coming out here every day ever since. Do you like it?" I asked her hopefully.

She turned to face me with one leg folded up and the other dangling over the boulders edge.

"I love it, it's beautiful. Just like you."

I smiled at her compliment, if my slow circulatory system could manage it I would have probably blushed as well.

"Clarke, there's something I need to tell you that I didn't bring up in our previous discussion about the bond between the two of us."

I waited for her to reference back to the conversation before I continued.

"Have you been feeling a little restless today?" I asked her.

She nodded her head, "After you left this morning I was getting ready for school when I started feeling a little strange. Kind of like I wasn't in control of my emotions. I went from being sad that you were gone, to being pissed because my Dad used the last of the milk in his coffee, then to being irritated and sad on the verge of crying in a matter of seconds."

I nodded in understanding.

_**The mood swings… Those were brief but I'm sure they'll only get worse over the next couple of days.** _

"I can explain that. When I touched you for the first time in class Heda released bonding energy into your system. It's a part of the pull you feel towards me and it connects us as mates. The thing is, that same energy is starting to build up inside of you and it needs to be released or you'll continue to go through mood swings. What you've experienced so far is nothing compared to what it could be if that energy isn't given an outlet. Does that make sense so far?"

She nodded again while looked at me with curious eyes, "What happens if the energy isn't released?" she asked.

I paused for a moment, afraid of her reaction to what I was about to say but I knew that this was information that she needed to know.

Heda huffed in agreement.

"It could kill you…" I lowered my head as the words left my mouth and I braced for her reaction.

She was quiet for a while obviously seriously considering everything I've told her.

"Well how do I release the energy?" she asked curiously.

I flinch slightly, the coward in me trying to take control and tell me to back away from the conversation.

"We have to mate and I have to feed from you…" I said this barely loud enough for her human ears to pick up.

She gasped causing me to look up.

I needed to see her reaction, it could possibly be the deciding factor in the progression of our relationship.

"By ' _mate_ ' and ' _feed_ ', you mean we have to have sex and you have to drink my blood?" she clarified.

I nodded in response and she continued to stare at me.

When she didn't say anything I started to get worried, "I'm sorry Clarke I should have told you sooner. I'm so sorry. It's just after my hunt this morning I threw up all the blood and Callie told me that the process is going really quickly and-" I was rambling.

"Lexa slow down, it's okay. I'm not upset, I'm just shocked is all. Why did you throw up? Does it have something to do with all of this?"

I was floored.

She wasn't repulsed. She wasn't angry. How could she be so accepting? I just finished telling her we have to have sex and she has to let me bite her just for her to feel normal. I at least thought she would be blaming me for over complicating her life.

"Yes it does, the other thing is that since Heda has identified you as our mate and you are human she only wants to feed off of you… When I tried to ingest animal blood this morning she rejected it and the building intimacy between us is further exacerbating the situation." I lowered my head because I didn't want her to feel like she was obligated to do anything but that's what it sounded like to me.

"Is that why you almost bit me last night and why I was so willing to let you?"

I nodded in confirmation keeping my eyes averted embarrassed that I almost let myself slip without even talking to her first.

"Lexa, look at me." She gently put her finger below my chin to coax my head up so she could look into my eyes.

When I finally returned her gaze I only saw understanding and acceptance reflecting back at me.

"Like I've told you before, for some reason none of this stuff has been shocking me the way that I think it should… I know that that's okay, somehow I just know that this is how everything is supposed to be and I'm not repulsed by any of it if that is what you're worried about. To be honest, the idea of you feeding on me, while we have sex is kind of a turn on."

She paused and looked into my eyes. I was in complete shock and speechless as I continued gazing back at her. "Is it strange that it turns me on?" she asked a little timidly.

I immediately sobered up to answer her. "No, not at all. In fact, I can smell your arousal right now…" I took a noticeably deep breath to illustrate the fact and Clarke's arousal increased again.

I moaned and my eyes darkened slightly as a steady throb started to build in my core, "You smell incredible."

Clarke blushed and this was the extra push Heda needed for my own arousal to further increase.

_**If only she could smell me right now…** _

"Can we go back now?" she asked me quietly; I could hear the lustful desire in her voice.

I hopped off of the boulder and held my arms open for her to slide down the side of it and into my embrace. Once I had her secure in my arms again I took off back to the house.

When we arrived it was still empty; it was like everyone knew what was going on and they were giving us space.

I took Clarke up the stairs, jumping over the missing steps at the bottom and into my bedroom closing the door behind us before placed her on my bed.

"Are you sure about this Clarke? We don't have to do this right now, I can wait." I was dead serious; I didn't want her to feel like I was rushing her because I had to feed or because I was some horny freak who couldn't wait to have sex.

"Lexa, I want to do this. I want to do this with you… and for you." Her voice held conviction and my arousal increased exponentially after hearing her words.

Heda purred in delight and the sound manifested itself in my chest loud enough for Clarke to hear.

"I'm committed to you Clarke Griffin."

"And I  **willing**  commit myself to you Lexa Woods."

With that I straddled her lap as she remained seated on the edge of my bed and lowered my lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Clarke immediately parted her lips for me. She moaned as I plunged my tongue deep into the warm cavern of her mouth basking in her unique taste.

Clarke's arms circled around my waist as her hands lowered to my ass squeezing as hard as she could. The action caused me to groan as I gently coaxed her to move back on the bed. I lifted my weight off of her and helped her slip her shoes off before I took my own off as well.

She scooted back up towards the pillows while maintaining eye contact. I crawled up over her body ridding myself of my top and throwing it off to the side of the bed leaving me in just my jeans, underwear and bra.

She rose up into a seated position with me kneeling between her parted thighs so that I could unbutton her blouse. Once I had her shirt open I lowered my head to the side of her neck and started to lick from its base up to her ear before pulling her earlobe into my mouth to gently suck on.

"You smell  _ **so**_  good… It's driving me insane," she moaned at my words while I pushed her blouse off of her shoulders.

She continued to moan running her warm hands up and down my back as I suckled at her neck leaving more hickeys to mark her as  **mine**.

I ran my hand down to the hem of her black tank top and tugged on it until she lifted her arms for me to pull it off.

Once it was off I took the opportunity to unclasp her bra and gently push her back to lay flat on the bed while I was still hovering over her.

_**She's so beautiful…** _

I looked down at her squirming beneath me with lust saturating her eyes; Heda began to purr again at the sight of our mate submitting sexually to us.

Clarke's breathing became labored when I used one of my hands to push the cups of her bra out of the way.

I groaned loudly as her breasts came into view. They were larger than I expected but that only made them even more attractive in my eyes.

"Lexa… I want to see you too, all of you take this off" she breathed this out in a strangled whisper as she reached out for the front clasp of my bra.

I let her unclasp it and move the cups aside before I shrugged it off and threw both my bra and hers onto the floor.

Before I could return my attention to her she sat up and latched onto my right nipple, sucking, nibbling, and moaning like she'd finally come home.

"Oh fuck…" I groaned out, not prepared for her warm mouth capturing my cooler nipple so abruptly, but it felt beyond good.

_**So warm… so good…** _

She used both of her hands to cup my breasts as she alternated sucking my left and right nipple while rolling her hips up into me. My moans were getting louder as I began to gently grind my center back into her lap desperately needing friction of any kind.

"Clarke… we still have too many clothes on. I need to feel you, all of you…"

We seemed to be on the same page because in short order she eagerly reached down to the button of my jeans undoing it immediately followed by pulling down my zipper.

"God, I want you so bad… Please Lex, just hurry up and take these off, like right now."

I could hear the impatience in her tone so using my vampire strength and speed I quickly shredded both of our jeans with my finger; they were ripped to shreds and laying on my bedroom floor within seconds.

"Damn. That was so sexy… c'mere." She tugged on my biceps pulling me on top of her pulling loud wanton growl from my throat as our skin made contact full unhindered contact for the first time.

_**Fire against Ice…** _

Heda was purring contently as my arousal continued to rise at an ever increasing rate.

I moved my right thigh between her legs to offer her something to grind into. When it made contact with her over heated panty clad core she jerked up against me and her burning right thigh rubbed up against my extremely wet center.

"Fuck Clarke…" I gasped out.

I could feel the heat, want, and arousal coiling in my lower regions as we both started to grind into each other in earnest.

I used my right hand to cup her left breast as my left forearm held up most of my weight so I wouldn't crush her accidentally in the throes of passion.

I began to roll her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. Her back instantly arched off of the bed pushing her chest and toned stomach into me.

I relished in the contact.

"Shit… that feels so good. Harder…" she gasped out.

Her words were doing little to keep me calm, I was drowning in the scent of our combined arousal.

I wanted more.  **Needed** more.

_**Oh God… So much more**_...

I quickly released her nipple and moved my hand down her body so that I could do away with the remaining barrier separating us.

She gasped as she felt the fabric leave her body, but that gasp turned into an ecstasy filled shout as I moved both of my thighs between hers and placed my dripping core against her equally wet, hot and throbbing one.

When we connected I was shocked that I could actually feel the needy clenching of her inner walls through the gentle respective quivering of her clit and outer lips.

"Fuck yes baby… You feel amazing against me..." the deep pitch of her voice combined with her groaned out words continued to turn me on more than I ever thought possible.

I was embarrassed when I realized that I might not be able to last very long.

I started grinding into her again, this time without the barrier of fabric. The hot wetness I felt between us started to make my head spin.

I let out a deep growl completely overloaded with lust and hunger for her while my hips continued to undulate.

Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her deeply as I tried to pour everything I was feeling into the exchange.

She placed her left hand on the back of my neck to pull me deeper into her mouth while the other traveled down to my ass squeezing possessively while she wrapped her right leg around the back of my thighs.

With one of her legs hitched up around me I could feel even more of her hot pussy against mine. I started to grind harder and faster against her as our tongues fought an epic battle for dominance inside her hot mouth.

_**I never want to stop feeling her against me like this…** _

We continued devouring each other, groping and grinding for the next 15 minutes but it felt more like hours.

Clarke rolled her hips rhythmically meeting me thrust for thrust at an ever increasing speed. I could feel my orgasm approaching and hoped that she was close as well.

I pulled back from her lips, barely able to form a thought much less words.

"I'm c-close… shit, so fucking close. I want you to come with me." Her grip on my ass tightened as the words left my mouth and she let loose a deep primal groan.

"God yes… Come all over my pussy baby… I want to feel it" she panted out between lust filled moans.

_**Oh Jesus, where did she learn to talk like this…** _

She started to jerk erratically under me and I realized she was just as close as I was. So I picked up the pace and increased the pressure I was exerting on her mound. Our combined wetness made the experience intensely gratifying. I could hear her trying to strangle her screams, I didn't want that.

I leaned forward moving my mouth to her right ear and I licked along its edge before whispering, "Scream for me, I want to hear you when you come."

As soon as the words left my mouth I grabbed her right nipple between my thumb and finger again pinching with just enough pressure to skirt the border between pleasure and pain.

She arched into the new stimuli. Her breath hitching slightly before she let out a moan that bounced off the walls of my room and sent a shiver through my system causing a small gush of additional wetness to stream out of my opening and onto her already moist and enlarged clit.

It was the most erotic thing I had ever experienced and I was barely holding back from reaching completion before she did.

Electric like tingling flowed across my skin. My instincts were telling me that the time was now. That it was time to feed; to become one with my mate.

"F-fuck… Clar-… Clarke… I'm gonna come… can I bite? Shit… I n-need-" even in the throes of passion and on the very brink of my orgasm unable to string together a proper sentence I knew I had to ask permission first.

She rolled her hips harder into me and as our clits rubbed together over and over again she pulled me down to her neck with the hand she had wrapped around my own and I couldn't be more grateful for the unquestionable permission I was being given.

"Yes. God yes, just don't stop… I'm gonna come too… Please bite me, bite me right now!"

I needed no further encouragement. With one final deep thrust of my hips into her center my fangs dropped instantly and I sunk them into the soft, warm, inviting flesh just over the pulse point on the side of her neck.

_**Heaven… This has to be what it feels like…** _

"Fuck  _ **yes**_!" Clarke's juices erupted onto my folds as her hot blood pumped into my mouth.

I growled loudly releasing all over her mound in return.

The share amount of fluids that poured out of my opening as I reached completion and fed on her at the same time was unbelievable.

I very nearly blacked out as my eyes briefly rolled into the top of my head.

Heda issued a mixture of growls and purring finally satisfied now that our shared need for our mate was being addressed.

After a few more seconds and mouthfuls of her sweet blood my instincts told me that I'd taken enough.

I immediately retracted my fangs from her neck, taking extra precaution not to cave to the instinct of producing venom to pump into her system.

As I pulled back I became acutely aware of Clarke still softly rolling her hips up into me, stroking the back of my neck and moaning quietly. I licked my bite wound clean causing her entire body to shiver in pleasure before pulling back completely to look her in the eye.

"I love you so much Clarke, thank you."

She smiled sleepily at me, "I love you too Lexa and you don't ever have to thank me for that."

I kissed her on the forehead before rising up off of her and moving over to my bedside table. I pulled a purple pill out of the envelope and using my vampire speed I flashed off of the bed over to my bathroom to grab some water.

Callie had even left an 8oz glass on my sink for me.

_**It's almost like she's psychic…** _

I filled the glass before flashing back over to the bed.

"This pill will help you replenish the blood I just took from you and heal my bite marks." I showed her the pill before dropping it into the water. It immediately dissolved turning the water a bright almost glowing purple color.

"What's in it?" She asked curiously after sitting up.

"I'm actually not sure, no one knows other than the person that develops it. All we know is that it heals damaged tissue and clones blood cells to replace what was lost. It has been used by our kind on their human mates for centuries."

She nodded in understanding gesturing for me to proceed.

I dipped my finger in the liquid leaning down towards her so that I could rub the elixir on the side of her neck over the two puncture marks left behind by my fangs.

The wound closed quickly not even leaving behind a scar and I handed her the glass so that she could drink.

Clarke finished it in no time handing the glass back to me before laying down on her back again stretching like a lazy and satisfied house cat.

"That actually didn't taste like anything; I thought it would taste bad."

I chuckled at her. "I'm glad. How are you feeling?" I asked her.

She had this dreamy looking on her face and her eyes were glazed over as she gazed back at me.

"I feel  _amazing_." She said with a wide self-indulgent grin plastered on her face.

"Good, I am very happy to hear that  _hodnes_."

She hummed in agreement and drifted off to sleep.

I pulled the covers over her exposed body so she wouldn't get cold. Just as I was about to join her I heard and sniffed out Callie enter the kitchen downstairs. She ascended the stairs but before she could knock I spoke in a voice only she would hear so as not to wake my mate.

" _Mochof nomon_."

I could hear the smile in her voice as she replied, " _Pro strik gona_. I'll try to do something about the delicious scent you and Clarke coated the house in before Raven gets back, don't worry." She then walked away from the door to head back downstairs.

_**Shit…** _

I breathed a sigh of relief after she said that, I'd completely forgotten that everyone would be able to smell that we had sex and that Clarke's blood had been exposed in the house.

There probably won't be much Callie can do about it because of the already naturally potent scent of her blood as well as our combined arousal, but hopefully she can do enough to not have Raven ribbing me for the rest of our undead existence because I couldn't wait more than 72 hours to mate Clarke.

I crawled under the covers behind my mate and wrapped my arms around her waist as I nuzzled into the back of her neck breathing in her scent while pulling her naked back flush against my equally exposed front.

I could feel Heda settling completely in the back of my mind for the first time since I awoke to this existence and her contentment caused a deep and powerful purr to rumble in my chest and throat.

_**I'm whole now, the bonding is almost complete…** _

I placed several light kisses along her healed neck before burying my nose into her thick golden hair as I fell into a deep meditative state with my world safely in my arms.

 

***************************************************************************

**Trigedasleng used in the chapter** :

_Branwada_ – Loosely translated to Idiot

_Hodnes_  - Love

_Mochof nomon_ – Thank you mother

_Pro strik gona_ – You're Welcome little warrior

**A/N:**

**And there it is, I hope you guys enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it you know that we are dying to hear your reactions to the first of** _**many** _ **smut scenes that will be in this story so be a dear and leave us a comment/review we always respond :)**

**Until next time, I hope this met expectations (^_^).**

**B/N:**

**For those on FanFiction I have no way to answer you unless Orange can relay a message. For those on AO3 I recently got an account and can now answer questions/comments if you'd like.**

**Orange and I had many a conversations about this chapter. I get to read it maybe 4 hours before we upload it for you guys. I get that angst from waiting (I just have to listen to her drop "hints" all the time) like you guys do. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I know Orange did writing it and myself betaing.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:**

**So yeah… I have no excuse for the length of time that has elapsed between updates. I'll be 100% honest and say I just didn't get it done, trust me Lupa has had words with me about my negligence (Not really, just a nudge. ~Lupa).**

**BUT there is good news, this chapter is long as hell and contains smut, fluff, drama, a good amount character development for all involved, as well as an update on the situation with the wolf imprinting.**

**I really hope that this makes up for the absence. I sincerely apologize for that. As it stands I'm looking to do another long chapter like this in the next couple of days so that I can push the plot along because trust me I'm dying to get to the part where you all find out what's happening with Clarke too.**

**I will stop talking now because I know some of you have been eagerly awaiting this update. I hope you enjoy the read, let us know what you think, or comment to berate me for the slowness of this update, whatever floats your boat. (^_^)**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**(Clarke's POV)**

_****Dream**** _

_**I was on an old looking ship made completely of wood with sails larger than any I had ever seen before.** _

_**As I move along the deck of the vessel I come across an older man with pure white hair and a scruffy white beard standing against the ship's wooden railing looking out over the ocean at the setting sun.** _

" _ **Can I join you Father?"**_

_**When I looked behind me I could see a woman approaching, she was beautiful; her long copper colored hair moved in the gentle gusting of wind made even more vibrant under the light from the setting sun. Her eyes were a glowing light blue bordering on green and I realized that I'd never seen eyes like hers before, they were unnatural.** _

_**As she got closer the older man turned around to look at her and I could see the love reflected in his eyes as he gazed back at her.** _

_**He smiled before holding his hand out for her to grasp.** _

" _ **Of course my dear," he said as she placed her hand in his. They briefly stood in silence as they enjoyed the sunset together.**_

" _ **How is Thelonious doing Helena?" he asked her, I could hear the worry in his voice.**_

_**She sighed and lowered her head slightly, "He is still in the lower deck with the servant. His screams are torturing Cage, but he refuses to leave Thelonious' side. The guilt is weighing heavily on him."** _

" _ **I really should go down there to talk to him, none of this is his fault. We all knew the risks of staying on this vessel for so long without any real reliable food source for him." The older man lowered his head and I could see his knuckles go white as he clutched onto the wooden ledge of the ship.**_

_**Helena placed her hand on top of her father's gently and he visibly relaxed before released his grip.** _

_**As the last remnants of the setting sun faded on the horizon Helena turned to face him speaking in a gentle tone.** _

" _ **Come Father, let us tend to Cage. I can feel that he needs us desperately, even though his pride won't will his tongue to voice the request."**_

_**The two stepped away from the railing and moved towards the small door leading to the lower decks Helena originally emerged from.** _

_**I felt myself being pulled along behind them as they descended the dark stairway leading to the bottom of the ship.** _

_**As we got closer to the bottom loud agonized screams penetrating the thick wooden door before us.** _

_**Helena opened the door and the two of them moved over the threshold with me closely behind them. After entering the narrow and dimly lit hallway, I could see many small wooden doors running its length on both sides. The screaming I had heard while descending the stairs was coming for the very last door to the left.** _

_**I watched Helena and her Father as they walked ahead of me; I could see her taking her father's hand as they approached the door where the screaming seemed to be getting even more violent.** _

_**As we drew closer the door swung open revealing a large man with a bald head.** _

" _ **Master Dante, Lady Helena." He bowed to them respectfully**_

_**Dante acknowledged him before he spoke again.** _

" _ **Lord Thelonious' condition is changing. His skin is getting paler and I can barely detect his heartbeat anymore. He will not stop screaming and I don't know if there is anything else I can do for him. It's been 3 days of this, he only seems to be getting worse."**_

_**From my vantage point I could see Dante raise his hand and rest it on the man's shoulder gesturing his thanks and allowing him to leave.** _

_**The man lowered his head then shuffled past us, down the hallway, and back up the stairs we had just descended.** _

_**Dante and Helena exchanged a meaningful glance before filing into the room the man had come out of.** _

_**As soon as they entered another loud scream tore through my head pulling me into the room behind them.** _

_**When I finally opened my eyes to take in the scene around me I could see a man lying on the only bed in the room. Upon further examination I could see that his dark skin was covered in layers of sweat as he thrashing around in his restraints. It was obvious that the screaming had been coming from him and it looked as if he was in excruciating pain.** _

_**I averted my eyes from his twisted agonized form and saw another man sitting on the floor in the corner curled up in a ball. He was rocking back and forth and murmuring to himself.** _

_**Dante released Helena's hand and approached him.** _

" _ **Son… you must not blame yourself for this." His gentle tone seemed to be doing nothing to calm the tortured man who continued to rock back and forth.**_

" _ **I didn't mean to… but I was so hungry, he provoked me. I didn't mean to… oh Gods I didn't mean to…" he kept chanting this over and over again.**_

_**Helena moved closer to him and crouched down to his level.** _

" _ **Brother, please. We might be losing Thelonious. We can't lose you too… I can't lose you, please come back to us. Come back to me."**_

_**Cage seemed to be slowly responding to his sister's pleading voice and as he began to raise his head from its resting place atop his knees revealing his glowing red eyes the screaming in the room came to an abrupt end.** _

_**Both siblings looked over to the bed where Thelonious was now laying completely still, all the fight expended from his body.** _

" _ **I can't hear him anymore… His heartbeat is so weak… I've killed him." Cage stated softly, the sorrow in his voice dripping from every word he uttered.**_

_**I looked over to the bed noticing that Thelonious didn't appear to be breathing anymore.** _

_**Just as Cage began to sob behind me Thelonious suddenly sat straight up and his eyes suddenly opened revealing two bright red orbs. He began to search the room with an intense unblinking gaze and when it landed on Cage, Helena and Dante he smiled.** _

" _ **It worked." He said before shooting up off of the bed and flashing over to where we were all standing.**_

_**The room suddenly faded to black.** _

_****End of Dream**** _

 

I woke up with a loud gasp, my chest rising and falling with each heavy breath I took.

_**What the hell was that dream about?** _

I tried to sit up, but something was stopping me.

"Clarke…  _Hodnes_ , are you okay?" Lexa's beautiful voice instantly provided a balm for my frazzled nerves.

She was spooned up behind me her arms tighten slightly around my waist.

"Yeah, just a bad dream I guess…" I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to remove the last remnants of sleep and took several deep breaths to further aid me with calming down.

As I did this I realized something startling, I could smell Lexa everywhere… All over me, the bed, the room, and most importantly I could smell her intense lavender and honey scent pouring out of every one of her pores.

I instantly relaxed into her arms, turning around from our spooned position and buried my head in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.

"I can smell you, all of you, everywhere…" I started to place light open mouth kisses along her neck causing her to moan. It was then that I notice that we were both still butt ass naked, and there was a new smell that intensified with each second that ticked by…

_**Jesus, what is that? It's making me wet…** _

Lexa groaned and started to rub her body against my front. I could feel her hard nipples rubbing up against my breasts, causing my own nipples to instantly harden in response.

Another mouthwatering scent made itself known, this time it was coming from me. It was a lot like the unnamed scent I could smell under the lavender and honey coming from Lexa, but a little different.

_**Wait… Earlier in the forest she said she could smell my arousal. It must be what I smell right now, Lexa's arousal along with my own.** _

I was slowly losing my grip on reality as the scent of Lexa's need intensified. I moved one of my thighs between hers while pushing on her shoulder wordlessly asking her to lay-back. She instantly caved to my request with a soft moan as I secured my right thigh between both of hers and applied pressure.

_**She's so wet…** _

"Fuck…" she groaned out as she grasped onto my ass with both of her hands.

"You're so wet Lexa, do you want me baby?" I said this into her ear before nipping at the soft cool skin on her neck, resulting in a wanton growl leaving her throat.

"Yes…"

I slowly moved my lips from her neck, along her jaw and up to her full pouty lips. I could taste and smell her honey flavored breath as it floated over my parted lips and into my mouth. We started to kiss passionately as Lexa's long tongue snuck out of her mouth and into mine causing a deep groan to rumble in my throat as the wetness at the juncture of my legs increased.

We continued to kiss heatedly as I took a hold of both of her hands that were still gripping my ass and placing them up by her head to hold them there. She slowly rolled her center up into the thigh I had between her legs coating it with her juices and I didn't think that I would be able to regulate my breathing anymore.

I used my left hand to hold both of hers above her head on the pillow while my right trailed down her body.

When the kiss broke I gazed into her completely black eyes. "Are you going to let me touch you?" I asked her in a husky voice that I didn't even know I possessed.

She nodded her head while biting her lip in a clear attempt to hold in a growl.

"I need to hear you say it baby." I said firmly while issuing a hard thrust of my hips.

I increased the pressure I was exerting on her center with my thigh and she growled as she released her lip and looked right into my eyes, the passion and heat she felt for me clearly visibly only for me to see.

"Please touch me… I  _need_  you to touch me." She said clearly while looking right into my eyes. My pussy quivered at the submissive way she said it.

_**Fuck..** _

I trailed my right hand further down her body stopping at her left breast to pinch down hard on her nipple a gesture that she clearly appreciated judging by the way she arched her back and gasped.

"Shit, Clarke… That feels good, please god… Don't stop." I could now feel her desperately grinding into my thigh trying to find as much friction as she could to alleviate the pulsing in her core.

I continued to pinch and pull on her sensitive nipple as I lowered my mouth to her neck again and started to teasingly lick up and down its length.

My hand traveled down over her toned stomach and over her pronounced hipbone mentally mapping out every muscle and dip so I could commit them to memory. I could hear Lexa's breathing coming out in shallow gasps as I got closer to my prize; the urge to just plunge my fingers into the heat I could feel radiating from her core was overwhelming.

When my hand slipped over her bare mound and my fingers glided into her soaked folds I grasped her clit between my thumb and index finger causing Lexa to let out a strangled scream once again arching her back slightly off of the bed, but she was still mindful of me being on top of her.

"Fuck. More, I need more…" she breathed out as she pulled one of her hands out of my grasp above her head and brought it down to my left breast.

With the new stimulation to my previously neglected breast I placed the thumb of my right hand firmly on her hard clit and sunk my index and middle finger deeply into the surprisingly warm cavern of her pussy curving them up to stroke along her clenching inner walls.

"Yes! Oh god baby, like that, just like that… Fuck me."

I was drunk on her words, her smell, and the warm quivering wetness surrounding my fingers as I started slowly plunging them in and out of her.

Lexa moved her head down to my left nipple and sucked it into her mouth causing me to forcefully drive my overeager fingers deeper into her filling the room with the lewd sounds of our love making and her soft growls.

"You like having me inside you don't you?" I asked her, in that husky voice that I'd only just recently acquainted myself with.

She groaned out a 'yes' while she continued to nibble and suck on my nipple. Her recently freed right hand then moved around me and gripped my left ass cheek forcing my hot throbbing pussy up against the back of the hand I was using to fuck her.

The added pressure guided by Lexa's forceful grip on my ass caused my fingers to sink even deeper into her hot cavern and provided much needed friction for my own aching need.

I rubbed my center into the back of my hand and started stroking at her g-spot in long hard motions. I started to pant heavily into the pillow as she continued sucking and lightly biting my nipple.

After a few hard thrusts and Lexa guiding my pussy to rub against my occupied hand I felt my mounting orgasm start to reach its peak.

She released my nipple and moved her head back in-line with mine while still rolling her hips onto my fingers while pulling and pushing my pussy into the back of my moving hand.

"I want to cum all over your fingers baby. I'm almost there, don't stop." She panted against my lips.

I started to frantically thrust my hips into her with my fingers deeply embedded in her heat and curling them up to rake against the most sensitive parts of her inner walls in an ever increasing rapid motion.

Lexa let out an erotic growl that sent a shiver down my spine and caused me to gush adding to the wetness already making a complete mess of the back of my hand, "Fuck  _yes_ , just like that…"

"Are you gonna come baby, I'm so close… I want us to come together," I breathed out before releasing her other hand to take her right nipple between my newly unoccupied thumb and index finger.

Lexa used this opportunity to bring her freed hand down to my right ass cheek to join the other one and I didn't think she could apply any more pressure but the added benefit of having both of her hands on my ass brought us even closer as I desperately started to grind into the back of my own hand searching for release.

It was too much for me to handle, I started to climax hoping Lexa was right there with me.

" _FuckFuckFuck_ … L-Lexa, I'm coming. I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming…  _Shit_!" I screamed out into the side of her neck while raking my teeth across her soft skin.

As my body tensed up and I hit my peak my hot juices flow onto the back of my hand immediately followed by her walls clamp down on the fingers I had hooked deep inside tight tunnel. The feeling of Lexa's release coating my embedded fingers pushed my orgasm into overdrive.

"Oh god  _yes_  Clarke!" Lexa's orgasm set off my second climax and added more liquid to my already drenched hand.

After several minutes of heavy breathing and lazy deep kisses my body relaxed and Lexa regained her wits. I gently pulled my fingers out of the tight cavern of her satisfied pussy and brought it up to my face to inspect.

She slowly raised her head and looked into my eyes as we both leaned in and started to lick our combined juices off of my hand and fingers.

"We taste good together," She said in her smooth voice heavily ladened in post coital bliss.

"Mmm… I know" was my simple response.

I rolled off of her and laid out flat on my back staring up at the ceiling with a satisfied smile on my face.

" _Hodnes_ , you need to eat and you might not be happy about this, but… the whole house kind of just heard us having sex."

I immediately shot straight up in the bed.

"WHAT?!"

I frantically looked around the room and could hear the faint sound of chuckles coming from behind Lexa's bedroom door.

_**Damnit.** _

"Seriously Lexa?! You could have told me your whole family came home while I was asleep."

I could feel her rubbing gentle circles on my upper and lower back trying to calm me down. To be honest I was more mortified and embarrassed than angry.

_**Jesus Christ! They must all think that I'm some kind of sexually depraved freak now… I'm sure they heard EVERYTHING that went on in here.** _

"I am sorry Clarke... I just got so caught up in what we were doing, I couldn't find the willpower to stop you when I could smell how much you wanted to be with me."

I lifted my head and looked into her eyes, "I know... I'm sorry for freaking out it's just a little embarrassing to know that we had an audience, with enhanced senses, while we were… fucking"

Lexa chuckled lowly and the sound made me clench and quiver all over again.

_**Fuck she's sexy.** _

"Clarke, there is absolutely no need for you to feel embarrassed about sex. We're all adults here and everyone in this house does it, including Callie and Marcus. You would be surprised at the things we've heard coming from their bedroom, Callie can be very- "

_**Hold up! Hit the Brakes.** _

I cut her off right there.

"Lexa, I do not want to hear about your parents' sex-capades. I'll pass on that."

She chuckled again as I sat up to look over to the clock on the side of her bed. It read 7am.

_**Wow, I slept through the whole night.** _

Just as I was getting ready to get up and ask her if I could take a shower I started to panic when I realized where I'd just woken up.

_**Shit Dad!** _

Noticing my panic Lexa was quick to set my mind at ease.

"Don't worry, Marcus called Jake last night and informed him that you would be spending the night due to a school project."

I felt a deep sense of relief that he wasn't already organizing a search party to look for my dead body somewhere.

Now that that was settled and I was calmer I looked into Lexa's eyes and touched her face gently, it was then that I noticed the change.

"Lexa, your eyes… they're green."

She smiled at me before addressing my concern.

"It's okay. Callie gave me her journal, it contains her complete account of everything that happened between her and Marcus while he was still human and they were going through a process very similar to ours, only not as expedited."

O _ **kay, but why are her eyes green?**_

Lexa must have sensed my confusion so she carried on, "I read the entire journal while you were asleep and there was a section in there that explained that after a vampire feeds on their True Mate for the first time. The vampire's eye color sometimes reverts back to the color they were before the change instead of reverting to the crimson red that indicates that they've fed on human blood."

"Oh," was my simple answer, until realization finally dawned on me and a huge smile stretched across my face.

"So this confirms it. I'm your True Mate then."

"Yes it does  _hodnes_ , but I did not need this to confirm it. I knew from the very first moment we touched that you were my True Mate and that I would need or want no other."

We cuddled for a little while longer in her bed and it was glorious. Lexa's naked skin flush against mine elicited a deep sense of completion inside me and I could probably lay like that in her arms for hours and be happier than I'd ever been in my entire life.

After a few minutes she finally got up, placed a quick kiss on my lips and flashed over to her shower stall.

I wiggled around in sheets getting more comfortable and basking in our combined scents then looked over to the large ceiling to floor windows in her room worried that someone would see her walking around naked, but I noticed that all the windows were blacked out and no one could see inside.

_**Good thing, I wouldn't want to have to gouge anyone's eyes out for peeping on what's for my eyes only.** _

I closed my eyes and relaxed back into the bed taking in my surroundings. Ever since I woke up I noticed that my sense of smell along with my sense of hearing and sight were improved greatly. I couldn't hear exactly what everyone in the house were talking about but I could hear soft murmurings coming through Lexa's very thick bedroom door.

The shower inside the room cut off and Lexa stepped out of the stall. About 15 seconds later I could smell her standing over me.

_**She smells so good…** _

Her intoxicating lavender and honey scent invaded all the air surrounding me and I sunk into the bed even more, dangerously close to falling asleep again even after I'd just woken up from a close to 12 hour night of rest.

"You can take a shower now, I'm going to go downstairs and help Callie prepare your breakfast."

I opened my eyes and looked up at her noticing she was already dressed for school. The tight fitted gray tank top she was wearing showcased her sculpted shoulders and arms, tightly wound muscles wrapped in flawless caramel skin. My eyes traveled down the length of her body landing on her dark wash jean that looked like they were painted onto her beautifully toned hips, thighs and calves.

It made me salivate.

I gulped down the moisture I could feel building up in my mouth before it had a chance to dribble out and down my chin.

_**Yeah, that would be attractive…** _

"Uhm y-yeah… okay. I'll see you down there."

I mentally face palmed at that response as Lexa gave me a knowing smirk in return.

She leaned over to place a kiss on my head and flashing out of the room.

I got up and made my way over to shower and noticed that Lexa had left a fresh towel and other essential toiletries like a toothbrush and toothpaste on the bathroom sink for me.

After grabbing the towel, toothbrush and toothpaste I walked over to the shower, hanging the towel on the stall door and turning the tap on to adjust the temperature to my liking.

Once the water temperature was just right I stepped into the stall and proceeded to brush my teeth and wash my body. I used some of Lexa's mango scented shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair while I was in there. Once done I stepped out of the stall and wrapped the towel around me.

It was then that I realized that I didn't have any clean clothes to wear to school. I also remembered that Lexa shredded my jeans while we were getting to know each other on a much more physical level the previous day.

A satisfied groan left my throat at the memory, but that soon vanished when I remembered the problem at hand.

I walked across the room to go to the door and call Lexa but noticed that not only was the bed made neatly, but there was also a stack of clothes laying out at the bottom of the bed, with my black boots from yesterday sitting on the floor.

I picked up the underwear laid out for me first and noticed that they consisted of a black thong and matching bra. As I put them on I wondered if they were Lexa's and a rush of arousal hit me like a ton of bricks at the thought that I was wearing her underwear.

_**This is getting out of hand. How am I going to function like this? I can't even think about her without getting turned on.** _

I finished getting ready before my thoughts strayed any further into the abyss of temptation. Lexa had left me a simply white V-neck t-shirt, black skinny jeans that fit perfectly snug around my hips and butt, and a small blazer like jacket.

Before leaving the room I cleaned up the mess that was left in the bathroom area. My hair was still damp from my shower but I decided to just let it air dry.

As I opened the bedroom door I was instantly blasted with a powerful mixture of new scents. I staggered back from the sensory overload shocked at the amount of scents I was now able to detect around me.

I stood in the doorway for a long minute as my senses tried to categorize everything I could smell all at once. There was definitely traces of Lexa's lavender and honey scent; that one was very distinct to my nose and easy to single out. There were also others mixed in the air around me. I could pick up traces of chamomile, green apple, honeysuckle, berries, sandalwood, peppermint and jasmine. The strongest of those smells being the chamomile and green apple.

I made my way down the hallway towards the stairs, when I passed by other doors I noticed that certain scents were more prominent in the area directly surrounding each door.

_**All of these smells must be coming from each one of them.** _

The Chamomile green apple mix remained strong throughout the hallway and I surmised that its dominance must mean that the scent belonged to someone that spent a lot of time in the house and inside each bedroom.

_**That must be Callie's scent.** _

As I got closer to the top of the stairs the distinct scent of pancakes and syrup caused my mouth to start watering and my stomach followed suit and began to rumble.

_**I know tummy, you haven't eaten in over 15 hrs… I'm a really bad owner.** _

I was standing at the top of the steps rubbing my stomach and talking to it in my head when I heard a chuckle coming from the bottom.

After looking up I noticed Bellamy staring back at me with an amused expression on his face. I focused on him to try to single out his individual scent which turned out to be eucalyptus and berries. The smell was a bit untamed but it still made me feel a little peaceful and protected in a way.

"Do you make it a habit to talk to your body parts often Clarke?"

I scowled at him when remembering that he could partially read my mind and was listening in on my inner monologue.

"It was a private conversation. Nosy much?"

Raven came sauntering around the corner from the kitchen, "You'll learn soon that when Bellamy is around, nothing is private," an evil smirk then spread across her face and she started to wiggle her eyebrows, "speaking of private…"

Bellamy interrupted her instantly. "Raven, I can think of 2 very good reasons why you shouldn't voice the thoughts running through your head right now."

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand as she started to make her way up the stairs towards me. When she got closer I was able to pick out her lemongrass and jasmine scent. I found that the two scents complemented her personality perfectly, the two combined smelt very fresh and energizing but warm and comforting at the same time.

"So Clarke, you're quite the party animal in the sack it seems. How did Lexa enjoy your company last night?" She arched her eyebrow at me and offered a teasing smirk, "actually come to think of it I don't really have to ask since we all heard you two getting down this morning. Way to go by the way." Her eyes were sparkling with mischief.

Before I even had the chance to respond, dark hair flashed past me from one of the rooms I'd just walked by. The split second sighting was quickly followed by a slapping sound and Raven's loud yelp.

"Seriously O! You have  _got_  to stop doing that, you could damage something important you know!" Raven hollered out indignantly.

When I looked back down at her she was rubbing the back of her head gingerly as Octavia stood at the bottom of the stairs beside Bellamy smirking with her arms crossed over her chest.

Her scent still lingered in the air that she stirred up as she passed by me and I was able to separate her peppermint and pear smell from the rest I was picking up at that moment.

"Raven, did I not warn you against teasing Lexa's mate about what they do behind closed doors." she asked her firmly.

I saw Bellamy trying his hardest to hold in a laugh.

"Yeah you did, but I really couldn't help myself. Don't be mad because I beat you to it."

She then turned on me and her sly smirk returned, "So Clarke, got an answer for the big question?"

"…and reason number 2." Bellamy muttered.

Lexa came around the corner with an annoyed look on her face.

"Raven." She said in a flat tone.

Raven's eyes widened instantly and within a millisecond she was gone, with my slightly heightened eye sight I was barely able to make out her form flashing out of the backdoor and into the backyard followed closely by an annoyed Lexa.

Bellamy and Octavia barely reacted to the two of them only smirking as though they were in on some kind of secret. I was a little uneasy at the fact that my mate was outside probably picking a fight with her sister where one of them could get hurt.

Just as the worry started to really set in a mud covered Raven re-entered the house pout firmly in place.

I made my way down the rest of the stairs just as Lexa came back in behind Raven. Her clothes were completely spotless as she dusted off her hands in a 'job well done' manner.

Raven groaned as she made her way past Bellamy, Octavia and I mumbling something about taking a shower.

Bellamy spoke up while still smirking, "I tried to warn you."

"Damnit! You need to try harder next time!" was Raven's disgruntled response, that's when I caved and started laughing along with everyone else.

Lexa walked over to me with a grin on her face as she took my hand to lead me into the kitchen.

Callie was just putting a plate of pancakes on the counter in front of the same bar stool I used the last time she'd cooked for me.

She made her way around the kitchen island and wrapped an arm around me in a short hug.

I sighed in my head and once again pick up on that dominant chamomile and green apple scent that permeated a lot of the air throughout the house. The two scents mixed together just screamed 'Mom,' I melted slightly in her arms soaking up the safety that the short embrace created.

When she released me she placed a soft kiss on my forehead before gesturing for me to sit down to eat. Lexa let go of my hand and walked over to the other side of the kitchen to grab some utensils and the glass of syrup.

"Thank you for breakfast Callie." I smiled up at her.

She returned my smile before speaking, "You're welcome dear and don't worry about Raven. She likes to act her shoe size instead of her age sometimes. You don't need to be embarrassed about your natural bodily needs and activities here. If anyone should be embarrassed it's Raven, over the years we've heard worse coming out of her bedroom when she has company."

I started to laugh just as Raven flashed into the kitchen clean and redressed.

"Callie! How could you?" she exclaimed completely scandalized.

The older vampire only laughed at Raven's expense, "I'm evening the playing field. You did do the same thing to Clarke only minutes ago, don't think I didn't hear you. I hear and see everything." She said the last bit in an ominous tone.

Octavia walked into the kitchen and gave Raven a couple of condescending pats on the back, "Don't worry about it Rave. They may not appreciate the entertainment you provide us regularly but know that I fully appreciate the free ammunition you throw my way. I mean who needs internet porn right?" She then started to crack up and it was the first time that I'd had the chance to see Octavia show so much emotion, I found that I enjoyed seeing her with her guard down like this and hope that I get to see more of this side of her in the future.

"Come on O! Not you too." Raven hung her head and wondered out of the door leading into the garage from the kitchen with Octavia following behind her still smirking.

Before Octavia crossed over the threshold from the kitchen into the garage she looked over at me and winked, "By the way, good job this morning Clarke."

Surprisingly I didn't blush at her comment, I actually felt a decent bout of pride course through my veins and I straightened up a bit. Underneath all of that though I was still slightly embarrassed that everyone heard us fucking, because that's what really happened this morning, we weren't making love, we were fucking and it felt great. I just wasn't exactly comfortable yet with the heightened vampire senses, but it's something that I'm sure I'll eventually get used to.

Lexa rounded the island and leaned on the counter beside me as I continued to eat breakfast.

When I was almost finished eating Lincoln and Bellamy walked into the room. As they made their way to the garage they both stopped briefly to give Callie a kiss on the cheek. Lincoln walked by he offered friendly good morning and a warm smile while giving his sister a little shove to the shoulder. He smelt like sandalwood and patchouli and it was starting to register with me how their unique scents seem to fit what little I knew so far of their individual personalities.

"We're all heading out now, we'll see you both in the parking lot in a few."

Lexa nodded as Bellamy followed Lincoln out to the garage to join the rest of their siblings. I heard the distinct sound of Raven's jeep turning on before it pulled out of the garage and drove down the driveway, I lost the sound before they made the turn onto the main road but the fact that I could make it out for as long as I did was a bit startling.

_**What the hell is going on with me?** _

I finished the delicious pancakes and Lexa took the dishes to the sink to rinse them off before placing them in the dishwasher.

Marcus came into the kitchen looking like he was ready to head out as well. He smelt heavily of honeysuckle and freshly baked goods.

_**I wonder why Marcus and Callie's scents are stronger than the others, not as strong as Lexa's, but potent nonetheless.** _

I decided to just ask.

"Callie, why are both of your scents so much stronger than everyone else in the house? Except for Lexa, her scent is the strongest one that I can pick up."

Surprise briefly flashed across all three of their face's but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared followed by Lexa and Callie exchanging glances, "I see the blood replenishment tablets are also working faster on you than the average human, I'm surprised you can smell all of us already."

She gave Lexa another meaningful look as the corners of their mouths started to twitch in that strange way again only this time I could hear soft whispers but I couldn't make out what exactly what was being said.

Callie directed her attention back to me before continuing, "As a vampire gets older the concentration of their scent intensify to illustrate their age and power to other vampires as well as other supernaturals. The reason Lexa's scent dominates all the others you're picking up, even though she is young by vampire standards, is because she is your mate. Her scent will be stronger to you and yours to her. It makes it easier for you both to locate each other if the need arises as well as the calming effects it has on a vampire's beast. No matter where you go in the world your scent will not fade to Lexa's vampire senses and she will be able to find you."

_**That's kind of awesome, in a creepy way...** _

"Does it work both ways? Will I also be able to pick up on Lexa's scent anywhere?"

Marcus answered this time, "Unfortunately your human senses will never heighten to the point where that would be possible. The blood replenishing tablet you took will continue to sharpen your senses as a side effect of continued use but those senses have limits. In our experience a human using BRT's can pick out their mate's scent in a crowd of just over a thousand people, but it becomes more difficult in a gathering larger than that. Humans also usually cannot pick up their mates scent at distances greater than a mile away or after the scent has lingered for more than 24 hours."

I nodded in understanding and wondered if the fact that I am having those side effects this early meant that I should expect everything to turn out as Marcus just described.

_**Only time will tell I suppose.** _

Marcus wished us both a good day at school after he gave Callie a lingering kiss goodbye before leaving the house.

Callie followed Lexa and I out into the garage, after exchanging goodbyes she started up her Mercedes SUV and pulled out of her spot.

"Clarke can I drive, I've been wanting to test your car out."

I looked at her queerly wondering why she would want to test drive my car when hers was probably 10 times better and I was also a little leery of letting her get behind the wheel of my baby especially after finding out why Raven calls her Lexus.

After much debate and gazing at the cars dent free body and pristine paint I shrugged my shoulders gave her a quick kiss on the lips and slipped the keys into her hand before walking over to the passenger side of the car hoping and praying that she doesn't kill my prized possession.

Lexa got into the driver's seat and when I looked over at her she had this big kid smile plastered all over her face.

"Lexa, why are you so excited?" I asked her in an amused tone.

"Muscle cars are my weakness. After the Lexus debacle I became fascinated with cars of all types. I ended up buying a 69 Camaro, Octavia helped me to rebuild the engine so that I could get it race ready to shut Raven up because she wouldn't stop teasing me about wrecking a car and a kitchen all in one go. I wrecked it when I ended up finally racing her and I have not had the chance to drive a muscle car since then. This is the perfect opportunity."

She looked over at me with a wicked smirk on her face, "You should probably buckle up."

The glint in her eye told me that I should act quickly so I buckled my seat belt and braced myself for the short ride to school.

_**Oh boy, I really hope my Dad isn't out patrolling right now…** _

As soon as I buckled my seat belt Lexa turned the engine on, caressed the steering wheel like a long lost lover and peeled out of the driveway at breakneck speed.

When we made it to the school parking lot I collected my organs from the backseat. I cast my eyes over to Lexa, the expression spread across her face was reminiscent of what she looked like post-coital and I almost laughed.

"Yeah, that was amazing. I'm sure Octavia and Raven are outside jealous as all hell right now." She tipped her head back against the headrest to bask in her moment as I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out of the car, praising the wonderful solid ground as my boot clad feet made sweet contact with it.

Bellamy laughed at my thoughts, "We should've probably warned you. Lexa is the speed demon in the family, Callie and Octavia come in at a close second."

I grumbled at him and rubbed my upset tummy with a groan.

_**Cars aren't meant to be driven that fast or that hard. Maybe.** _

Lexa was immediately at my side replacing my hand with hers and continuing to rub.

"Was that too fast for you  _hodnes_?" she asked me still smirking.

Raven and Octavia both snorted at the innuendo.

"That's the last time I let you drive my car, I'd hate for it to end up like your Camaro."

Raven full out laughed this time causing Lexa to huff and roll her eyes in response.

"Lexus you lost that bet fair and square, the crash was just added entertainment."

"Whatever, you know I would have won if it wasn't for that damn raccoon that scurried into the road unexpectedly."

I rubbed her shoulder while biting down on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing as I attempted to keep a straight face, "It's okay, you lost to save that raccoon's life, that was really sweet of you."

She perked up almost immediately.

"Sweet enough to earn me a kiss?"

I answered her question by pushing her up against the passenger side of my car attaching my lips to hers and snaking my tongue into her mouth as soon as I was permitted entrance.

After several minutes of getting completely lost in the kiss, my tongue having spent enough time inside Lexa's mouth to warm its temperature to a heat that rivals my own, we slowly pulled apart. I took a fraction of a step back to allow some space between our bodies and almost dove back in when I watched her slowly lick her lips.

When I checked back into my surroundings I could pick up the voices of the kids in the parking lot, a few of them were making appreciative comments about the kiss we just shared while others made colorful disgusted comments.

Two of those voices were distinctively Fox and Harper. I didn't even bother to look over in their direction; instead I just grabbed Lexa's hand and pulled her towards me with a smirk pecking her on the lips again before turning and heading into the school with her in tow.

 

_**(Lexa's POV)** _

I could tell that Clarke was picking up on the comments the other kids were making around us after our kiss but she didn't seem to care one bit as we walked into the school heading to our AP English class.

We settled into our seats and the class flew by as usual with me paying little to no attention whatsoever. When it finally ended Clarke and I left the room and shared another heated kiss in the hallway before parting ways. Her comfort with public displays of affection between us was both recognized and appreciated by Heda who purred happily at the slowly growing strength and determination in our mate.

"I'll see you at lunch time." She said with a warm smile on her face.

I nodded and gave her hand a quick squeeze before she turned away to head down the hall for Biology.

_**The aching in my chest isn't nearly as bad now that I've fed from her, what a relief…** _

Heda felt more settled now that we've moved closer to completing the bonding process but I know that this new found contentment wouldn't last under extended periods of separation.

I lingered in the hall longer than I expected but just as I was preparing to head off to my own class I picked up the sound of Clarke addressing overeager Sterling.

I made sure no one was around me before flashing over to the biology hall taking refuge in a darkened empty classroom. I was able to see the two of them but they wouldn't be able to see me.

The look on Clarke's face screamed annoyance which caused Heda's attention to perk up a bit.

" _What_  do you want?" she asked him shortly.

He held up his hands in defense and had a sick smile on his face.

"I just want to talk Clarke. Are you sure your reputation can handle all the carpet munching rumors that are circulating the school right now? I can help you change all of that if you'll just dump the dyke and go out with me."

Clarke's eyes flashed with fury.

"Shut up Sterling. I actually couldn't give two fucks about what people are saying. Also, it would be wise of you to refrain from calling my girlfriend names or I will forcibly remove the thing between your legs that makes you a man."

He looked angry, but when she advanced on him menacingly he took a step back and a brief bout of fear flashed in his eyes.

"Whatever, I gave you a chance to save yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Clarke smirked at him, "I don't need saving, now get out of my way."

When he didn't move Clarke simply pushed past him and entered the class, she didn't appear to be fazed by the encounter at all and kept the smirk on her face as she sat in her seat.

Heda managed to settle back down now that we knew that we wouldn't have to intervene to protect our mate again from the stubborn hormonal boy.

In the back of the class I could see Lincoln smiling broadly at her. It was then that I realized that her humanity might not be too much of a concern in the grand scheme of things. She seems to be able to handle herself very well for someone who is not virtually indestructible.

_**Small minded, small town kids. Sadly predictable...** _

I had a satisfied smirk on my face during the entirety of my next two classes as I waited to see my mate again. When class ended I got out of my seat and headed out the door not missing the dyke comments that were made in my wake.

I found Clarke almost immediately in the crowds and noticed that she was in very much the same state that I'd last seen her in, indicating that she didn't have another encounter with overeager Sterling between then and now.

"I saw your little encounter with Sterling, you handled that very well."

Clarke shrugged as she grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together so that we could to walk to the cafeteria, "It was nothing and  _he_  is nothing."

We paid for lunch then made our way over to the table where my siblings were already sitting with their prop food. I could once again make out the many conversations circling the room about mine and Clarke's relationship.

Once again it was a mix of approving comments and disgusted ones. Many of the disgusted comments coming from the table Clarke used to sit at.

I was also surprised to hear an argument going on over at that same table and noticed Clarke was looking over there as well. Maya and two teens whose names I didn't know got up with their trays and left the table following a heated exchange between her and the tables three remaining occupants.

I shifted my gaze back to our table as we took the two vacant spots next to Bellamy who was lost in thought gazing into the woods outside the cafeteria window. I gave him a long measured look sensing that something was bothering him but decided not to pry since he would come to one of us, more than likely Marcus, if he really needed to talk it out.

There was a conversation already in progress at our table between Octavia, Lincoln and Raven that immediately sparked my interest so I tuned into that and left Bellamy to his thoughts.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to reach out to the pack, I mean it couldn't hurt right?" Lincoln commented.

Raven scoffed at the idea.

"Are you forgetting the beat down Callie and Marcus put on them? I highly doubt that they would be agreeable to a friendly question and answer session."

Octavia huffed in annoyance, "Look, this is getting out of hand. The two of you have been obsessively bringing up those wolves for the last two days. Clearly something happened in that clearing, it wouldn't hurt to investigate a bit."

She shifted her eyes to her brother noticing that he was still gazing into the woods, "Bell! Are you even listening to us?" she snapped.

I'd been so focused on Clarke the last two days I barely realized that Bellamy and Raven were going through what appeared to be complicated situations of their own.

"Maybe O and Linc are right Raven. That wolf was trying to protect not attack and the other one didn't engage us the way their pack mates did. Not to mention the fact that there was something off about them, it's worth looking into." I commented remembering the way in which the sandy colored wolf approached Raven and I that night.

I was too focused on my immediate surroundings to really register what the other shifted wolf was doing during the altercation between our coven and their pack, but the fact that it never stepped in to protect its alpha from Callie's attack spoke volumes for the abnormality of its actions or lack of action.

Bellamy had turned away from the window while I spoke and gave a low grunt and nod agreeing with me, while Raven sighed forlornly and took up looking out into the woods herself.

Clarke looked around the table and was clearly confused about what we were talking about.

"Did something else happen between you guys and the wolves?" She managed to sound both concerned and defensive all at once, obviously still not over her new found mistrust of Finn and his friends.

Octavia responded while still keeping her eyes locked on her brooding brother, "When we had that encounter with the pack two of them in their wolf forms singled Raven and Bell out, but they were non-aggressive which is not something that we've experienced before. We've only ever had hostile encounters with the shifters in this area in the past, they aren't very fond of vampires even though they are fully aware that we do not feed on humans."

All of that was said in the anger and irritation stemming from Octavia and Bellamy's first encounter with a pack of wolf shifters the night Lincoln found them.

Sensing his mate's growing agitation at the violent memories of the last night she was human Lincoln moved his chair closer to hers and pulled her into his side by throwing his muscular arm around her shoulder. She visibly relaxed into his embrace and nuzzled into his neck breathing in his scent while basking in the calming energy he began to pump out into the immediate area surrounding our table.

Bellamy relaxed as well and watched contently as Lincoln calmed his sister. Unlike me, Bellamy and Octavia retained all of their human memories after the change even though they weren't turned by their mates' but it was more a curse rather than a blessing because they could both recall all the events that occurred that night leading up to Lincoln coming across their near mangled bodies at the bottom of a riven in a northern Canadian wilderness over 200 years ago.

Bellamy was the first to notice Maya and her two companions making their way towards our table and as they got closer he spoke up.

"All three of them are disgusted with the ones called Sterling, Harper, and Fox. The instant dismissal of their longtime friendship with Clarke based on her new found sexuality isn't sitting well with them."

Maya approached our table first.

"Hey guys, can we sit with you? Those three are being homophobic douchebags and we don't want to be associated with that type of thing."

Clarke smiled at the three of them, "Thanks Maya, I really appreciate that." She then turned to address the rest of us, "Lexa you've already met Maya, everyone these are my other two friends Monroe and Atom. Is it cool if they sit with us?"

Raven continued to stare out the window and I don't think she even registered that we had new comers, but we all immediately nodded.

Lincoln and Bellamy got up and retrieved three more chairs from nearby tables as we all made room for the new additions.

_**If they are willing to stand up to their friends for my mate they are more than welcome to sit with us whenever they choose.** _

Heda grunted in agreement.

As the lunch period progressed and gossip continued to float around the cafeteria Monroe and Atom started up a heavy debate about video games and the right way to go about completing tasks in the game they were discussing, that conversation finally pulled Raven away from the window and she perked up when Monroe mentioned the game name.

"Oh yes. Fellow Mass Effect aficionados. I like you guys already."

I stopped paying attention to the jabbering about the game and instead focused on Clarke who was finishing up her grilled cheese sandwich and talking to Maya about a book that they were both reading.

I took the time to really study my mate's body language as she spoke with her friend noticing that like Heda she seemed more settled into herself after the events of yesterday evening.

_**Callie was right, the feeding seems to have calmed her in a way.** _

Before the end of the lunch period I looked over to the table where Sterling, Harper and Fox were sitting. They all looked livid as they stared daggers into their recently departed friends' backs. I waited until Sterling shifted his eyes to me, once we made eye contact I allowed my eyes to flash to black briefly while baring my teeth minus the fangs. He jerked back slightly in shock and averted his eyes almost immediately.

When the bell final rang indicating the end of the period we all parted ways and the rest of the school day passed without further confrontations.

For the most part by the end of the day the rumors had died down and the majority of the student body seemed to have lost interest in our relationship due to our lack of response to the negative comments.

_**I hope that eventually no one pays much attention to us, a group of vampires really do not need to be in the limelight constantly while trying to maintain secrecy.** _

 

**(3** **rd** **Person POV)**

Wick and Echo were deep in the woods on another pointless patrol. They'd been volunteering for almost every patrol shift since they imprinted on the vampires desperate to stay out as far away from noses of their alpha and pack mates as possible in order to prevent everyone from finding out about their change in status.

"I'm exhausted Echo, we can't keep this up for much longer. We'll have to just come clean to the pack."

Over the last two days he'd been trying convince his best friend that Wells would be accepting of their mate's because pack mentality automatically allowed for the immediate inclusion of a wolf's imprint, Echo had her doubts.

"It's not Wells I'm worried about." As the hours wore on and the two of them remained separated from their imprint their agitation continued to increase, the long hours spent running through their territory in wolf form wasn't helping the situation either.

She knew Wick was right, but at the same time she wasn't entirely sure she even wanted to accept the imprinting herself and she's been fighting it with almost all of her will power.

"You have to allow the imprint to take Echo, you know that it could kill you if you don't." he briefly studied her strained features before continuing, "is it because they're vampires?"

He'd been asking the same question in different ways constantly and she had yet to give him a straight answer on the subject.

"I told you that is only a small part of it, I shouldn't have to justify myself Wick. If you want to run to your imprint so bad why don't  _you_  go and come out to the pack and leave me be?" The venom in her voice was being fueled by her constantly rising agitation because she was fighting the imprint and deep down she regrets snapping at him but she had little to no control over her emotions in her current state of never ending distress.

"I'm not attacking you Echo, I'm just saying that you don't need to make this so hard on yourself. Maybe you should just give him a chance, we aren't getting any younger and they don't age. Do you really want to miss out on your opportunity to spend the rest of your life with the person who is meant for you?"

She didn't respond to his question but he could tell that he might finally be getting through to her.

They circled their territory for another hour before stopping at their pond hidden away from all the trails that the rare hiker would frequent.

"Finn and Miller have been out here a lot lately as well, I've picked up on their scents a few different times but they don't ever approach us."

Echo grunted in response and took a seat on a bolder close to the water, "They are up to something I'm almost positive of it. I really could do without that asshole finding out that we imprinted on the enemy, it will only cause more drama in the pack and with all the tension in Den I think it won't be long before he makes a move to challenge Wells for the position of Alpha. If he wins he won't care about pack customs. He will move to try and slaughter the vampire coven. That includes our imprints."

Wick growled at Echo's words, "That asshole has issues and so does Miller. Why did Wells even let them into the pack in the first place? They aren't even from around here. We were perfectly fine before those two joined."

A heavy sigh escaped Echo's mouth as she reclined on the boulder looking up at the grey sky peeking in through the cloud coverage, "The fact remains, if we come clean about our imprinting we will have to also be prepared to defend our mates from our own pack brothers and sisters, and unfortunately that includes Finn and Miller. I think out of everyone they are the ones that we need to be the most careful of."

After a few more minutes she sat up and looked over to the only person she has ever been able to call family, "We can go back and tell Wells today Wick… I still don't think it's the best thing to do while Finn and Miller are acting sketchy but I have to admit that you're right. I have to get over my hang ups and accept the imprint in whatever capacity I can right now, in a few days I'll be completely useless if this isn't addressed."

Wick fist pumped and ran over to the amused woman picking her up off the boulder in a bear hug while spinning her around like she weighed nothing.

"Awesome! I'm glad you finally stepped into the light E.T."

"That blasted movie will haunt me forever won't it?" She asked while rolling her eyes and wiggling out of his grasp.

He finally let go of her and a cheesy grin spread across his face, "Don't lie you know you were flattered when they gave a cute little lost alien your strange ass name. I know for a fact that you've watched the movie more than three times."

He barked out a laugh when she punched him in the arm and took off in the direction of their Den by the docks just outside the sprawling forested area that took up more than fifty percent of the town.

They both knew that once they came clean to their alpha about their recent imprinting on vampires that things were going to change dramatically, not just for them but probably for the pack as a whole.

 

**(Lexa's POV)**

The rest of the school week passed by quickly. Clarke and I fell into an easy routine of me going home with her after school then helping her to make dinner for her and Jake. When he got home each night I would excuse myself under the guise that I was heading home to do homework and eat with my family.

In reality I would just head home briefly while they ate and Clarke completed her homework. It gave me the chance to check in with the family and discuss any new information that Callie and Marcus were able to turn up about what could be happening with our expedited bonding. So far the two had come up empty handed after reaching out to most of their contacts, but they assured me that they wouldn't give up and that we would eventually get some answers one way or another.

I tried to spend some time with my siblings as well while I was in the house waiting for Clarke to get ready for bed. It seemed that Lincoln and Octavia were making progress with convincing Raven and Bellamy to reach out to the wolf pack since they were still heavily obsessed with thinking and talking about their two wolfie admirers. Raven was openly curious about the wolf that approached her but because of Bellamy's past encounter with wolf shifters he was more guarded in his curiosity, something I really couldn't fault him for.

What surprised me was Octavia's willingness to uncover the mystery surrounding the wolves, she had the same experiences with them as Bellamy but it seemed that her mating with an emphatic vampire went a long way in teaching her better control over her emotions.

At night I park my car around the corner and out of sight from Clarke's house so that Jake wouldn't start to notice it always on their street at all hours and I continued to use her bedroom window to gain entrance to the house in order to stay under Jake's radar.

Clarke fell asleep in my arms every night and it brought both Heda and I peace of mind knowing that we could protect our mate while she is in such a vulnerable state. Some nights we engaged in very long make out sessions that involved a lot heavy petting, but I wouldn't let it go any further because Jake wasn't working double shifts anymore and stayed up late watching sports in the living room most nights.

In the mornings I left Clarke to get ready for the day while I went home to shower and change for school. I would then pick her up in my car and we traveled to school together.

Even though we hadn't had sex again and I wasn't feeding on Clarke daily Heda seemed relatively at peace with the routine we developed because at least we were always close to our mate. I knew that eventually I would have to feed again but I was trying my best to stave off the hunger in an effort to slow down the rapid rate in which Clarke was beginning experience the side effects of the BRT's.

Maya, Monroe, and Atom continued to sit at our table at lunch time and even though Raven wasn't really her usual happy and playful self she seemed to really enjoy having them there because they shared common interests in all things gaming and engineering. Bellamy didn't seem to mind their presence either way and for the most part kept to himself as he continued to brood over the situation surrounding the wolves.

Surprisingly Lincoln would sometimes join in on the gaming and comic book conversations at our table, it was something that Octavia endlessly made fun of him for because everyone in our coven knew that he loved video games just as much as Raven but he tries to play it off like he doesn't because he got his kicks out of taunting Raven for acting like a child.

For the most part Octavia and I conversed about upgrades that we wanted to make to the family vehicles, Clarke would sometimes join in telling us about the work that she and Finn did to her Mustang before he turned into a raging jerk.

When Friday evening rolled around Jake left the house at around 9pm to go pick Clarke's mother up from the airport in Seattle. I stayed up late with her that night since she was a little nervous about coming out to her parents the following day.

She asked me if I thought it would go badly, but I couldn't really answer her because I hadn't had the opportunity to meet her mother and didn't know what kind of person she was. What I knew of Jake led me to believe that everything should be fine, he seemed like a decent and accepting man, but you never can really tell with some people. What I knew for certain was that it would be better if I was present with my mate while she spoke to them to offer her any support that she might need.

I can only hope that her parents accept her, because from everything she's told me they are both very important to her. I would hate to be the reason she would have to choose between them and me.

She slept peacefully in my arms throughout the night despite the anxiety surrounding her rapidly approaching coming out and I was grateful that she was able to finally fall into a deep sleep a few hours before her parents returned home.

I heard Jake and Clarke's mother pull up to the house well after midnight. They didn't come in to check on her because of the late hour and they seemed to just want to get some rest so I didn't have to move from the bed and risk waking up my sleeping mate.

_**Small mercies.** _

In the morning I woke Clarke up so that she could shower and get ready for the day.

Once she was ready I pulled her into my arms and rubbed her back while placing comforting kisses along her neck.

"Are you sure you want to do this  _hodnes_ , you know that you don't have to right?" I asked her, making sure she heard the sincerity in my voice.

Clarke opened her eyes and looked at me intently, "I want to do this Lexa. It needs to happen. I'm not going to hide what you are to me from them; I'm not ashamed of it. I might be a little afraid of their reaction, but I'm going to do it. I have to."

I nodded my head at her once again feeling pride that I'd been given such a strong willed mate.

I loosened my hold on her mid-section so that she could step out of my arms, "I'm going to go out the window, and go to the front door, okay?"

She nodded and I kissed her gently on the forehead before going over to her open window and jumping out.

I waited on the side of the house until I heard her exit her bedroom and start to make her way down the hall. I then flashing around the corner and up the steps leading to the front door to ring the bell.

Jake opened the door and smiled at me. "Hi Lexa," he said warmly.

I offered a genuine smile in return before responding, "Hello Jake, is Clarke awake?"

"Actually I think she is, come on in and I'll go get her for you."

I entered the house and waited by the front door for Jake to walk over to the bottom of the steps and call out for her.

"Princess! Lexa is here to see you."

I could sense that Clarke was waiting in the hallway for her cue to come down and felt a little relieved when I could hear that her heart rate was relatively calm.

Heda must have picked up on the gravity of what was about to take place because I could feel that she was on high alert.

_**Steady Heda... these are her parents.** _

"Yeah Dad, I'm on my way down."

As Clarke started to descend the stairs Jake guided me into the living room.

When she finally came into view her mother also came out of the kitchen and saw me for the first time.

"Well hello there, I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting." She said while eyeing me closely, her voice was a low alto much like her daughters and I found myself hoping that Clarke's coming out doesn't blow up in our face.

I walked over to where she was standing and extended my hand to shake hers. "Hello, Dr. Griffin, My name is Lexa Woods, a… friend of your daughter"

' _ **Friend' seems to be the best label to give myself until Clarke has had this discussion with them.**_

She shook my hand and smiled at me. She really was a beautiful woman, and she wore her age extremely well. It was easy to see that she contributed equally to producing the beauty I now call my mate.

"Nice to meet you Lexa, please call me Abby."

I nodded before Clarke spoke up.

"Mom, Dad, there's something that I'd like to talk to both of you about if that's okay?" she sounded a little timid and unsure of herself so I walked back over to take my place at her side.

Jake and Abby both came over and sat side by side on one of the couches while Clarke and I occupied the other one across from the TV.

I could hear Clarke's heart rate begin to pick up a little so I discreetly reached for her hand and interlaced our fingers encouraging her to continue.

"Mom, Dad… I've realized something about myself and I want to share it with both of you, but I don't want you to over react… or think differently of me because of it."

They both frowned slightly at her words and exchanges cautious glances.

"Lexa and I aren't just friends…" she looked up from her lap over to her parents to see their reaction to her words.

Abby was the first to speak, "What do you mean baby? You're worrying me."

Clarke sighed, and I could feel her shaking slightly. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she looked over to me and smiled weakly before looking back over to her parents.

"Lexa and I are together. She's my girlfriend."

The room was deadly quiet for at least 2 whole minutes.

Abby finally spoke up and her voice sounded steely, "What?"

Jake remained silent and started to look out the living room window to his left.

"What do you mean she is your girlfriend Clarke? You're straight. Where is this coming from? Are you trying to rebel against us?" Abby's voice was slowly raising and I knew that this conversation was heading south at a rapid rate.

Clarke started to shiver next to me and I couldn't tell if it was in anger or despair, "Mom, I love her. I know that this is a shock to you because I've never shown any interest in other girls, but Lexa is special to me... Please, I need you to accept this. Please." Clarke was starting to shake uncontrollably as her heart rate continued to increase. I pulled her closer to me instinctively in an attempt to offer comfort.

Jake still hadn't said anything and his hands were balled up into fists in his lap as he continued to looking out the window.

"Take your hands off my daughter and get out of my house. Now!" Abby ground out at me. It took all of my willpower not to growl loudly at the woman.

_**She's Clarke's mother, I can't lash out at her. Clarke wouldn't forgive me.** _

Heda was not of the same mind, she was growling in my head begging to be let free in defense of our claim on Clarke as our mate.

"I'll leave, but you should know that Clarke loves you both beyond understanding and she has been a complete mess for the last couple of days worrying about your reaction. You should also know that you are proving all of her fears correct with your current actions, and all she was looking for was your love, understanding, and acceptance."

I could tell that my words were piercing the woman like daggers and I heard the faint gasp that she let out in response.

_**Good.** _

Jake took the opportunity to look over at his distraught daughter while completely avoiding looking at me.

When his eyes landed on Clarke I could see them soften slightly, he didn't say anything but he gazed at her and I could tell that he was a bit remorseful over the way his wife was handling the situation.

As soon as I was certain that he would not add to the decay of this conversation I turned all of my attention back to Abby.

"As I said, I will leave, but I will not stop loving your daughter and I will not stop seeing her." I looked her square in the eye as the words left my mouth, challenging her to come at me.

Jake's eyes briefly flashed over to me with anger before they went back to Clarke and softened again.

"Get out. Now." Abby sneered out beginning to stand from her seated position.

_**Well, this escalated quickly…** _

I sighed as I looked over to my clearly upset mate and placed a kiss on her forehead. Abby's heart rate increase further at the gesture and I could sense that she was on the cusp of blowing up again.

As I released Clarke from my hold and started to stand she gripped onto my arm firmly.

"No." she said and I could see that she was gaining control over her emotions again.

" _Hodnes_ … I think it would be best if I go. I'll call you later to check on you I promise."

She shook her head at me and increased the pressure of her grasp on my arm, "No, I'm leaving with you." She said with finality.

I looked into her eyes and saw that there was no talking her out of this.

_**Oh boy, here we go…** _

Heda purred in delight after realizing that our mate was going to stand her ground.

"Like hell you are, you're staying right here at home, and  _she_ is leaving." Abby said leveling Clarke with a 'don't push me' glare.

"No Mom. I'm leaving until you can calm down and realize that this is not worth losing me over, this is not the end of the world, and I'm the same person I was a week ago. The same Clarke you loved a week ago."

With that she stood from the couch, grabbed my hand and started to pull me over to the door.

"Clarke! Come back here this instant!" Abby also moved from her spot but Jake chose this moment to intervene.

"Abs, let her go. We all need to calm down and you and I need to discuss this."

She looked reluctant, but eventually backed down at her husband's request as she watched Clarke and I leave through the front door hand in hand.

I shut the door as Clarke looked at me with sorrow clearly evident in her eyes.

I wrapped my arms around her letting her cling onto me tightly, "I'm so sorry that didn't go well." I said gently into her ear.

She started to softly cry into my shoulder and I wanted nothing more than to make all her pain go away.

"Can we just go to your house please?" her voice was muffled against my shoulder but I understood her clearly.

"Of course  _hodnes_." I looked around her neighborhood for any human presence, when I knew the coast was clear I pulled Clarke's car keys out of her back pocket and I picked her up bridal style before flashing over to the passenger side of her car, opening it, gently putting her inside and buckling her seat belt.

I was in the driver's seat a second later, starting up the engine and pulling out on to the street to head home.

On the 5 min ride to the house Clarke quietly sobbed while she was curled up in the passenger seat.

_**I wish I could protect her from this…** _

Heda grunted in irritation because Clarke was upset and there was little we could do to correct the situation.

I pulled her car into the garage next to mine and flashed over to her side to pick her up and take her into the house.

The only ones who were home were Callie and Marcus and they were both in their room. So I flashed up to my bedroom and closed the door behind me.

After taking off Clarke's shoes and jeans so that she could be comfortable I pulled back the comforter and placed her on her side of the bed.

I took off my own shoes and jeans and got in the bed beside her while laying on my back. She immediately curled up next to me, fusing her body into mine and resting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and ran my fingers through her hair as she held onto me tightly and cried herself to sleep.

_**I'm going to make this better, even if it's the last thing I do.** _

* * *

**A/N:**

**O.M.F.G. This chapter ended up being huge it! I really hope that this makes up for the 2 week hiatus, and once again I am truly sorry for that. If ya'll want you can let Lupa know that she needs to keep better control of me (Like you'd listen to me… ~Lupa) ;p**

**The next chapter will be about the same length as this one since I'm trying to hurry up and move us along to the good stuff, so keep an eye out for that. I will be starting work on it today and hopefully I can stay focused long enough to power through it.**

**Please feel free to leave a comment/review to tell us what you thought about the update, or as I said to berate me for taking so long to update.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**I'm honestly disgusted with myself. I come with no excuse for the length of time it took to post this. I just never got around to working on it until a few days ago. I sincerely apologize for making everyone wait this long. Drumming up the motivation to sit down and focus on a chapter is a task in itself (Partially my fault, I'm a bad influence on her. She tells me so often… ~L). I applaud all the fic writers on these sites that manage to pump out multiple chapters every week. I aim to be like them one day... Hopefully.**

**All of that being said, here is a decent sized update. I hope you enjoy it, we continue to get closer to the good stuff. Hang in there with me for a little while longer.**

**Also, in the interest of clarifying ages, since obviously this isn't canon and we are dealing with some immortal characters here, I have prepared a list of the current ages for the key characters in the story so far. The list will be updated as new characters come in and posted at the beginning of the respective chapter.**

**Age Breakdown for key Characters:**

**Humans:**

**Clarke**  -  **18** th birthday recently passed (She's a senior in high school)

**Abby**  - Early to mid  **40's**

**Jake**  - Late  **40's**

**Vampires:**

**Callie** \- Turned at the age of 34 in the year 1090, she is  **959**

**Marcus**  - Turned at the age of 38 in the year 1378, he is  **675**

**Lincoln**  - Turned at the age of 19 in the year 1512, he is  **522**  (1st twin by minutes)

**Lexa** \- Turned at the age of 19 in the year 1512, she is also  **522**  (2nd twin)

**Bellamy** \- Turned at the age of 22 in the year 1725, he is  **312**

**Octavia**  - Turned at the age of 17 in the year 1725, she is  **307**

**Raven**  - Turned at the age of 19 in the year 1909, she is  **125**

**Shifters:**

These shifters are not immortal, they continue to age even after their first change. They age slower than the average human, 1 shifter year is the equivalent of 8 human years. (Wolf pack leadership descends in this order: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omega. ~L)

**Wells**  (Alpha) -  **28**  years old

**Finn**  (Beta) -  **21**  years old

**Miller**  (Gamma) -  **24**  years old

**Echo**  (Gamma) -  **25**  years old

**Wick**  (Omega) -  **25**  years old

**Murphy**  (Omega) -  **23**  years old

**Jasper** (Omega) -  **21**  years old

**Monty**  (Omega) - **22**  years old

**Now that we got that out of the way, enjoy the update and let us know what you think.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**(Lexa's POV)**

It's been five days since Clarke's dreadful coming out ceremony with her parents and she has been staying with us for the entirety of that time. On Saturday night while Clarke slept her mother called her cell phone several times and after an hour I figured it wouldn't be long until either Abby or Jake showed up at the door looking for their daughter.

Without leaving her side in the bed I called out to Callie intending to head off any possible altercation between a pissed off Abby and a thirsty vampire. The thought had apparently already occurred to Callie because she immediately took Clarke's cell phone to call Jake and charm him into letting her stay with us until everyone could cool their tempers over the situation.

Jake was reluctant at first until Callie explained that Clarke and I would not be sleeping in the same bedroom. Which obviously wasn't the case but his spiteful overbearing wife didn't need to know this.

On Sunday Callie brought Clarke's breakfast up to our bedroom while she showered. We spent the rest of the day hold up in the room talking and just sharing in the comfort of being close to one another.

On the second night, while Clarke slept in my arms, Octavia entered the room and offered to sneak into Clarke's bedroom to grab some clothes for the next school week just in case she ends up needing that much.

The first four days of the school week went by uneventfully and Clarke still hadn't reconciled with her parents. Outside of our bedroom she put up a strong front and did not show any signs of being overwhelmed or overly emotional about the situation, but when we were alone she would cling tight to me and sob quietly as she fell asleep.

As the days wore on we started spending more time in the living room with everyone. She seemed to really enjoy playing video games with Raven who was always able to make her laugh.

Octavia and Clarke also got closer over their shared love of Clarke's Mustang she even went as far as to give O permission to do some work under the hood. They would spend hours out in the garage talking about cars and getting to know each other better.

As the days wore on and Clarke slowly progressed in making peace with the events surrounding her coming out. I could see that everyone in the coven was making the effort to really get to know her and make it obvious that she was now a part of the family. It was also clear the amount of care Clarke took in making sure that she spent an equal amount of time with everyone that she was using the interactions as a way to distract herself from the fact that her parents hadn't called to check on her since the night that she left.

Clarke and I have not been intimate since the incident with her parents and by Thursday we were both starting to show signs of the negative effects. She's been extremely irritable and withdrawn when we've been alone together. I wasn't fairing much better than she was, Heda was constantly restless even with Clarke constantly at our side and the burning in my throat was close to unbearable but I did not want to feed off of her when she was so emotionally drained.

Clarke made no attempt to do anything other than share a few long kisses with me and a part of me felt that she was punishing herself for disappointing her parents. I asked Bellamy what, if anything, he was hearing from her mind over the last few days and he told me that her mind was constantly clouded with thoughts of deep love for me, remorse for disappointing her parents, and resentment towards herself for not being able to make both her parents and me happy.

Lincoln confirmed all of this when I asked him to feel out her emotions while they were in History together at school and every time I tried to coax her into opening up to me so that I could help her work through some of the emotions she shut down.

After school on Thursday I decided that Clarke and I needed to talk because Heda was not at all happy with the distress it could feel coming from her and that agitation was only compounded by the fact that it had been close to a week since I last fed.

Heda wanted to feed just as much as she wanted to comfort our mate in the only way that my baser instincts knew how.

There were nights I would have to leave our bedroom while Clarke slept because the thirst was bad enough that I could feel myself slipping and allowing Heda to take full control. With what little humanity I still had left I knew I needed to maintain full control of myself until we could work out the emotional trauma from her parents' rejection.

When we pulled into the driveway after school she was lost in thought not even noticing that the car had been idle for just under five minutes.

_**Okay here we go…** _

" _Hodnes_ , can we go to the river to talk?" I asked her quietly, not wanting to have this conversation where everyone else in the house would be able to hear us.

She looked over to me and offered a weak smile before grasping my right hand with her left and lacing our fingers together.

"Yeah, I'd really like that."

I exited the car and flashed over to the passenger side to open her door for her. Once she stepped out I opened my arms for her to step in so I could pick her up and carry her to our destination.

In no time we arrived at the little oasis I placed her on her feet and grasped her hand as we made our way over to a large tree in the clearing, away from the small river. I sat on the ground leaning by back up against the tree then guided Clarke down to sit between my parted legs.

We were both silent for a while, with her back pressed against my front I was able to slip my arms around her waist and pull her further into my embrace so that I could bury my nose in her hair and bask in her calming strawberry and lilac scent.

Clarke shifted her weight and sunk deeper into me letting out a deep sigh of content.

"I love you Lexa."

A slight shiver of pleasure ran up my spine at her declaration and Heda began to purr in satisfaction, the sound causing my chest and throat to vibrate.

"I love you too  _Hodnes_."

We remained in this position a little while longer before I remembered that I brought her out here to have a serious conversation.

"Clarke… I need you to talk to me about how you've been feeling over the past few days."

She stiffened slightly and I could almost feel her begin to retreat into herself again but I wasn't going to let her.

" _Beja_ … You've been distant lately and it's my job to take care of you. I can't do that if you won't let me."

"Lexa, I don't want to talk about this. Can't we just enjoy our time together?" she said this harshly and I could tell that she was about to have one of her mood swings.

_**The bonding energy…** _

" _Hodnes_  please calm down, I am only just trying to help."

She made an attempt to pry my arms away from her midsection so she could stand up, but I wasn't budging and I was being extra careful to ensure that she wouldn't harm herself as her fight or flight instinct kicked in.

"I don't need help! I can fix this on my own… I will fix this. I just don't know how yet..."

I nuzzled her neck in an effort to try to help calm her down a bit. I don't want her to feel like I'm attacking her emotionally, I just want to get her to open up to me.

"I want to help you fix this, just let me in baby."

She stopped struggling in my arms I could feel her body start to shake and I could hear her start to sob quietly.

"They hate me. They can't accept me, and I can't make them happy because I can't let you go… It would kill me." I released my grip on her midsection and slowly turned her body around so that she was straddling my lap instead.

Clarke wrapped her arms around my neck pulling her body even closer to mine and buried her face in my shoulder as she cried. I wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to rub soothing circles on her back.

"They do not hate you  _Hodnes_ , they just don't understand and they are afraid of what they don't know." I said all of this as calmly as I could but inside I was furious at them for the emotional mess they left my mate in.

_**I need to fix this…** _

"I need them to accept this, it hurts so much…"

She was breaking my slow beating heart with her anguish and I wish I could tear it out to release some of the pent up hurt I feel for my mate.

"I know you don't want to do this, but we will have to talk to them again, none of this will be solved if you continue to avoid them."

"I know" she said quietly, her sobs were going away and shaking in her frame also started to diminish.

I continued to rub soothing circles into her back and for a moment I thought she had fallen asleep, but then she lifted her head from my shoulder to suggestively caress the back of my neck where her hands were still interlocked.

She placed open mouth kisses along the side of my neck and I could feel the beginning stages of arousal make itself known.

My body stiffened against hers, "Clarke, what- "

"I need you Lexa and I know you need me too... You haven't fed in a while, and I feel like I'm going to explode with all the pent up energy inside me."

She started to slowly rub her center into my stomach as she continued to lick and bite at my neck.

"Are you sure? I can wait until you're ready. You do not need to do this just so I can feed." I said this with all the sincerity I could muster. I didn't want her to think that I would ever put my needs ahead of hers.

_**I could never do that.** _

She lifted her head to look directly into my eyes, "I'm sure and I really need you…"

A deep purr rumbled in my chest as the scent of her arousal started to permeate the air around us. She captured my lips between hers in a heated kiss running her hot tongue along my bottom lip. I eagerly opened my mouth wanting to feel her tongue against mine.

Our tongues battled in my mouth for what felt like hours as I moved both of my hands down to her ass to pull her even closer into my body. Clarke's constant grinding fueled the already overwhelming heat present in my core causing me to rock my hips back into her with each downward thrust.

Clarke withdrew her tongue from my mouth releasing a deep groan as she wrapped her right hand around my neck and biting down on my lower lip hard enough for me to feel it. I growled in response taking a firm and possessive hold of her ass with both of my hands.

_**Fuck yes…** _

I darted forward capturing her mouth in another deep kiss and her hands moved down my front, stopping over the swell of my breasts. After she had her fill of fondling my breasts through my shirt and bra she raked her fingers down my stomach grasping and tugging at the fabric keeping her away from my skin.

"Take this off." She said forcefully.

I immediately pulled the shirt over my head as Clarke discarded her own. She moved in at almost vampire speed as she latched onto my neck with her lips and her teeth, while roughly grabbing both of my breasts in her hands again.

"Fuuuuck… Clarke…"

She was groaning into my neck. Using her lips, teeth, and tongue to suck at the skin almost as if she was trying to draw blood. Clarke's attempt to feed on me triggered a primal heated need that settled in the pit of my stomach.

She moved one of her arms behind me to unclasp my bra while pulling the cups away in one swift motion.

She pulled away from my neck to look down at my uncovered chest watching as both of her hands manipulated my flesh and nipples.

"God baby, you're so fucking beautiful…" her husky voice caused another rush of fluids to gush into my already ruined underwear.

_**Shit, she's going to make me cum and she hasn't even touched me yet…** _

She lowered her head to my left breast sucking the nipple into her mouth using her hot soft tongue to drive me into further insanity and repeating the process with my right breast.

When she was satisfied she'd given both breasts enough attention I was panting like some crazed animal in heat and pushing my center up into hers as she continued to grind down into me.

"Too much clothes… I need to feel you against me…" it took all of my concentration to utter that broken sentence. As soon as the last of it left my mouth Clarke rouse up from her position straddling me. She took a few steps back as she slowly reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, all while hungrily gazing into my eyes.

She pulled the bra away from her body dropping it on the ground beside her as she seductively ran her right hand down her toned stomach to the button of her jeans. I lowered my eyes to her hand and watched as her fingers unbuttoned the jeans and she used her other hand to pull down the zipper.

She turned her back to me as she slipped out of her shoes her thumbs hooking into the loops of her jeans to pull them down while she bent over at the waist.

My mouth dropped open and my fangs started to tingle begging for the opportunity to sink into the beautiful flesh being offered so willing.

I had a perfect view of her firm rounded ass clad in nothing but a few pieces of string that made claims of being underwear.

_**Fuuuck… that's hot…** _

I closed my mouth and my eyes refocused on the whole picture being presented as Clarke kicked the jeans off to the side and straightened her posture.

Before she could turn to face me I was already on my feet and out of my own jeans. I moved in behind her just as she was turning around bending at the knee so I could pick her up by the backs of her thighs. She immediately wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck finally bringing our bare torsos into full contact.

I nipped at her lips as she tried to pull me into a kiss, "I enjoyed the show."

In response she moved the fingers of her right hand into the hair at the back of my head taking a firm hold to take control of my movements, "I'm glad." she held me in place as she ran her tongue teasingly over my lips, "Now, what are you going to do for me?" She then pushed her tongue into my mouth and rocked her center into my stomach.

I growled into the kiss while walking over to a soft patch of grass in the clearing gently lowering her onto her back and positioning myself between her legs.

When my face was level with her she gazed up at me. She looked up at me I could see all the love and need she held for me in her eyes and I'm sure my eyes reflected those same feelings.

" _Please_  Lexa," she reached up and cupped the back of my neck forcefully pulling my mouth down to hers and wrapping her legs around my waist.

My tongue slipped into her mouth as my hips started to move against her. My right hand supported my weight above her as the left moved to cup her right breast and massage while tweaking her hard nipples with my fingers. We broke our kiss as Clarke arched her back off of the ground and groaned.

Her head was thrown back exposing her beautiful neck to me, tempting me as I watched her life's blood pump through her system.

_**Not yet.** _

I lowered my head to her neck but instead of biting down I ran my tongue along its length sucking the skin into my mouth bruising the skin in an attempt to mark her as my own.

She gasped rocking her hips back into mine while her hands moved down to my ass to pulling my center closer to hers. Even though we both still had underwear on the feel of her hot center coming into contact with mine caused my breath to hitch.

"I want to taste you…" she breathed this out as she hooked her thumbs into the sides of my underwear to start pulling them down. I nodded and lifted myself off of her and pulled them off completely but as I went to position myself on my back next to her she grabbed my arm and shook her head.

"I want you over my face."

Her words caused me to whimper as the visual flashed before my eyes. Clarke started to pull my body above hers, once both of my knees were positioned on either side of her head she wrapped her arms around my thighs and pulled my dripping center down to her lips.

_**Holy shit…** _

When I made contact with her hot open mouth a deep and satisfying shudder traveled through my entire body. I leaned forward slightly placing my hands on the ground in front of me to try to anchor myself on something so as not to cause her any harm if I lost control of my body during climax.

"God yes… Don't stop. That feels  _so fucking_  good."

Clarke ran her tongue between my folds collecting the moisture leaking out of my core. When she moved up and sucked my clit into her mouth moving one of her hands from my waist to push two fingers into my pussy I thought I would die all over again. I threw my head back and let out a cross between a groan and growl that echoed all around the clearing.

She started to pump her fingers in and out of my opening as she continued to suck, lick, and bite at the most sensitive part of my body.

When she started to hum into my pussy it pushed me over the edge. The vibrations traveled up into my core as she curled her fingers to rake them along my quivering walls.

A loud growl tore through my throat as I felt my body release its satisfaction into Clarke's eager mouth.

"H-Holyy… F-Fuuccck…." I shuddered out as she continued to hum into my center clearly wanting to clean up the mess she helped me make.

When she finally detached herself I crawled backward until we were face to face once again.

She had a very proud smile on her face, "God… you taste really good, that was the hottest thing I have ever experienced."

I smiled at her before capturing her lips with my own and pushing my tongue into her mouth tasting myself mixed in with her saliva.

The kiss quickly grew in aggression, I was fucking her mouth with my tongue and even though she'd just provided me with a mind numbing orgasm, I wanted and needed more.

I lowered my right hand to her g-string and swiftly ripped it from her body she groaned in response and tightened her hold on me.

I pulled away from her mouth and growled possessively down at her while rolling into her center.

_**Mine.** _

She bit her bottom lip and gazed up at me, her pupils were completely blown as I gazed back at her. She ground her incredibly wet and hot center up into mine causing our juices to mix together. The silky soft feel of her folds and hard clit rubbing against my sensitive pussy almost pushed me over the edge again.

"Take me baby, I'm yours."

Heda roared loudly in my head and I immediately moved down her body pausing at her breast and sucking one of her nipples into my mouth while pinching the other between my thumb and index finger. I spent a few minutes claiming her breast before I kissed my way down her stomach to the prize that lay between her legs for me, and only for me.

I flattened my tongue and ran it all the way from her belly button, over her bare mound, and into her moist folds without hesitation. The heat and scent that radiated from her core had me completely deranged, I'd never been this turned on before.

_**All mine.** _

I brought my thumb down to her opening to coat it in her juices bringing it up to stimulate her needy clit. Using my vampiric speed I started to rub her clit in tight circles before pushing my tongue deep into her opening as far as it would go.

Her back arched off of the forest floor as she cried out loudly moving both of her hands into my hair to pull me closer to her.

"Shhiiitt Baby! Yes, j-just like that… Don't fucking stop!"

I was tongue fucking her as hard and fast as I could without causing her harm while my thumb vibrated over her clit. After only a few minutes I felt Clarke's walls start to clench down on my probing tongue.

A split second later her sweet juices gushed out over my tongue and into my mouth. I swallowed two mouthfuls before pulling my tongue out, replacing it with two of my fingers and pushing into her clenching core as she continued to convulse beneath me.

Clarke's slammed herself into my hand violently forcing my fingers even deeper into her pussy as another orgasm started to overtake her body.

Heda roared in my head.

"Fuck Yes! Bite me baby. Do it right now."

She was still riding out her orgasm when I moved up to her neck. My fangs dropped as soon as my lips made contact with the skin over her pulse point when the punctured the skin Clarke wrapped herself around my entire body grasping the back of my neck with her right hand to hold me in place.

Her blood pumped into my mouth and down my throat the euphoric feeling prompting me to grind into her repeatedly in search of another orgasm. With Clarke matching me thrust for thrust as she groaned out nonsense between short gasps for breath I reached completion at the very peak of my feeding.

I continued to softly grind against her cum soaked pussy as my feeding tapered off and I came down from my orgasms. Once I'd had enough my fangs retracted from her neck. I pulled back to lick the remnants of her blood from my lips as Clarke panted under me covered in a layer of sweat with a blissfully satisfied look on her face.

I pulled my fingers out of her still quivering center and brought it up to my face before sucking them into my mouth and moaning at the taste.

_**Only mine.** _

"That's so sexy baby…" Her voice was raspy from overuse and the sound of it made me want to fuck her all over again but I could tell that she was on the verge of passing out.

I smiled down at her bending my neck to place a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you."

She wrapped her arms around me pulling me down against her body as she whispered into my ear, "And I love you Lexa Woods."

I knew I had to get her back to the house so she could take the blood replenishment elixir before she fell asleep so I quickly redressed myself, then I dressed Clarke because she could barely move.

When we were decent I scooped her up into my arms and started to run back to the house. I flashed inside through the back door spotting a smirking Callie watching TV in the living room as I entered.

_**I guess she heard what just happened out in the woods…** _

I smirked and she let out a short chuckle. I didn't linger long since I could smell that Raven was lurking around nearby.

Once inside our bedroom I placing Clarke on the bed before retrieving a tablet from my drawer and a cup of water.

After mixing the two I rubbed some of it on Clarke's neck to close the wound then gave her the cup to drink. She finished it quickly and handed the cup back to me. With the cup on the bedside table I proceeded to strip her of her clothes again so I could move her under the covers.

"Sleep well baby." I whispered into her ear she smiled softly before her eyes fluttered closed. I kissed her on the lips quickly and then proceeded into the bathroom area to take a shower.

When I got out of the shower I slipped into some yoga pants and a tank top then opened the large window in my room to air the space out in an effort to remove the lingering scent of blood in the room.

I looked over at Clarke one last time before exiting our bedroom and closing the door behind me.

As I made my way down the hallway, Raven's bedroom door opened and her grinning face invaded my line of sight.

"Wow Lexus, you could have told me you guys are into the whole public sex thing I'm sure I can set aside some time in the near future to indulge any exhibitionist fantasy you might want to also cross off the list." The smirk on her face quickly transformed into a grimace as Callie's voice carried up the stairs from the living room.

"Raven, are you through masturbating up there? You were louder than usual earlier. You'll have to keep it down if you plan to continue, Clarke needs her rest."

Raven's eyes widened with every word that left Callie's mouth and I basked in her discomfort with a satisfied grin on my face.

"Did you enjoy the auditory stimulation earlier Rave?"

She balked before straightening her posture.

"Fuck off asshole. I wasn't rubbing one out to the sound of you two going tribal," she then gazed down the stairs, "and that's messed up Callie. You didn't hear me telling Lexa you were listening just as intently while they were going at it."

"I was merely ensuring that they were safe out there dear."

I could hear the amusement in her voice, and it wouldn't surprise me if she was in fact listening in, Callie is never prudish when it comes to matters concerning sex and I would need more hands to count the amount of times I've witnessed her and Marcus going at it.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she then focused back on me and shifted her weight a few times before letting out a tortured groan "Okay, fine. Yeah, I was listening and yes I may have rubbed one out while doing it."

She then huffed and ran her fingers through her hair tugging at the roots, "I've just been really pent up since the shifter thing, I mean what the actual fuck is going on with me?"

It was odd, over the last few days I did notice the changes in both Raven and Bellamy since the incident with the shifters. Whatever happened in that clearing was affecting the two of them but in slightly different ways. Bellamy has been more than a little moody lately preferring to spend the majority of his time either locked up in his room or out hunting by himself.

Raven on the other hand seemed more restless almost as if she was constantly waiting for something to happen.

We both made our way into the living room where Callie was still lounging and watching some kind of home repair show on HGTV.

Raven lowered herself to the rug and stretched out on her stomach with her head resting on her folded arms while I made my way over to the sofa Callie was occupying and laying down on my back with my head in her lap.

Callie ran her fingers through my hair soothingly causing me to release a short quiet purr as she gazed down at a very miserable looking Raven.

"Do you want to talk about it? I've been giving both you and Bellamy your space but this is getting out of hand."

Raven turned her head towards us and groaned. "I talk to Bell about it sometimes," she paused as if decided whether or not she wants to continue.

"We think two of the shifters may have imprinted on us."

The thought did cross my mind more than a few times since that night. The way the two shifters acted that night made it clear that neither one of them had any intention to attack regardless of whether or not they were ordered to.

As per usual Callie didn't seem phased by the revelation, "It isn't uncommon for some to find their mate among other supernatural races. If you both believe that this is the case it can't be ignored for much longer. It will only get worse."

I could tell Raven was holding something back and just when it seemed like she was going to speak Bellamy entered the living room.

"Fate has a twisted sense of humor. I end up getting mated to a shifter, and not just any shifter but a wolf…"

I grimaced because I knew immediately that this was the only thing keeping Bellamy from being happy about finding his mate. His feelings are warranted but it was tragic to see him suffering because he blames an entire race for the actions of just a few.

I knew he could read my thoughts but I sat up beside Callie just the same and addressed him, "Bell-"

"No, Lexa. I get that I can't blame every wolf shifter but how am I supposed to love something that will be a constant reminder that because of my idiocy I almost got my sister killed!"

His fists were balled up and his eyes were darkening with every second that ticked by.

Callie got up from the sofa and moved in front of him. She reached out for one of his balled up fists and he relaxed almost instantly. The bond between a vampire and its maker is a lasting one. It can never be as strong as the one found between mated pairs but it is useful and can be felt for as long as the sire or the vampire continue to exist.

"You don't need to get over what happened if you aren't ready to. No one would ask that of you, but you need to find a way to see that these wolves are not the ones that attacked Octavia."

Raven stood from her position on the rug and took a seat on the couch beside me, "I've been trying to explain that to him for the last couple of days…"

"Raven… I told you that you didn't have to wait for me, you can reach out to them if you want to." It wasn't said bitterly or with any amount of aggression, he just seemed defeated.

"And I told you that there was no way in hell I was going to without you."

If these two are left to handle this on their own any longer absolutely nothing will get done and it was time for something to be said, "Bell for both of your sakes, reach out to the wolves and at the very least confirm that this is in fact an imprinting situation. I'm sure that if it is your mates are currently going through their own issues because of the separation."

He looked like he was getting ready to interrupt, but I carried on before he could get a word in, "What happened to you and Octavia remains unforgivable but these wolves played no part in what happened. Get to know your mate before you dismiss them over something they have no control over. You are mated for a reason, this is not the universe's way of punishing you for what happened. You need to forgive yourself Bell."

He released a deep sigh and looked out into glass doors into the forest behind our property, "My sister. My responsibility."

As he said this Octavia and Lincoln could both be seen coming out of the tree's from their hunt. She clearly heard the tail end of this conversation because she only had eyes for her brother as she approached the open sliding glass door.

"I'm not your responsibility anymore Bell and Lexa is right. You need to forgive yourself, everything happens for a reason. Lincoln was supposed to find us that night."

As the last sentence left her mouth Lincoln moved up behind her and wrapped an arm around her midsection placing a quick kiss on her temple.

He then looked between Raven and Bellamy, "As scattered as your emotions may be right now a decision still has to be made." He looked directly at Bellamy before speaking again, "You might not be ready to move past your anger towards wolf shifters in general but you are doing yourself more harm than good by not reaching out for your mate."

Callie placed both of her hands on either side of Bellamy's face encouraging him to look at her, "It wouldn't hurt to just reach out to the wolves for a meeting so that we can hash all of this out. I'm sure your mate's will appreciate it, it's been almost a week already."

He considered her words carefully, it was clear that they were also having one of their one sided silent conversations inside her head.

It didn't take long for her to convince him. Bellamy nodded his head and offered her a weak smile before he and Raven left the room to go contact the wolves and Octavia and Lincoln retreated to their bedroom soon after.

Callie made her way back to the sofa and I moved back into my previous position with my head in her lap.

"How is Clarke holding up?"

"She's fine physically… I'm still working on the emotional part though. They really hurt and disappointed her Callie, and I don't know what to do to help."

She started to run her fingers through my hair again, "Everything will work out  _Gona_. If you'd like when Clarke chooses to return home to face her parents Marcus and I could accompany you both to be the voice of reason."

I could barely contain my relief at the offer, "That would be amazing Callie. Thank you."

She smiled down at me and as I looked up into her eyes I could see the amber hue warm to a deep gold before she blinked and the color settled once again.

 

**(3rd Person POV)**

_****Deep in the woods**** _

"Come on man, we've been at this for days. Ball up, Wells is a pussy, you know we can take him in a fight no problem."

Finn ignored his companion as he scented the air around them.

"We've been over this Miller, it has to be a one on one fight. If I want to take Alpha I have to do it on my own."

Miller scoffed as he picked up a fallen branch and used it to poke at his pack mate.

"You saying you can't take him in a fight?"

Finn rolled his eyes and continued to scent the air and survey their immediate surroundings. He felt like they were being watched.

"He's an Alpha you bloody idiot. It doesn't matter if I'm a better fighter, I can't over power him. I have to figure out a way around that before I challenge him."

Miller dropped the branch and took a seat atop a large rock, "Any ideas on how you're gonna do that?"

Finn growled in irritation, "I'm working on it."

In the distance they could both hear and smell another wolf approaching and after a few more seconds they could tell it was Murphy.

He emerged out of the bushes in his wolf form and immediately started to phase. When the transformation was complete he reached down to his right thigh and untied his bundled up shorts to slip them back on.

"What have you homo's been doing out here? Everyone has been looking for you."

Finn let out a long suffering sigh, "What do you want Murphy? I'm surprised Wells let you off your leash."

"I'm no one's bitch Collins!"

Miller made some coughing noises that sounded suspiciously like 'Yes you are' but Murphy ignored him as he fixed his gaze on Finn instead.

"I beg to differ omega, you seem to always be on his dick… Makes me wonder what the two of you get up to when no one else is around." Finn said all of this offhandedly turning his back on his pack mate to further prove how little he thought of him.

"Fuck you Finn! Ever since your blonde bitch came to her senses and realized half dead pussy is better than your shriveled up excuse for a dick you've been more than a little anal and hardup. I could direct that very same question to you and your fuckboy over here. Ya'll have been spending a whole lot of time alone in these woods. Any misplaced accusations you want to own up to?"

Finn ignored him. Didn't even bother turning around and that just pissed Murphy off even more. Omega or not he wasn't going to back down.

Right as he made a move toward the Beta, Miller jumped up and got in front of him.

He grinned at Murphy's raged filled face as he halted the Omega's forward progress, "Simmer down Murph, Finn's in a mood. You know how he gets, what are you doing out here anyway?"

It took a few seconds for Murphy to calm down but once he did he shrugged Miller's hands off of his shoulder and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever, he's always a fucking asshole. Wells sent me out here to come get you guys. He wants to have a meeting in the Den. Wick and Echo are already back we're just waiting on the two of you."

Finn turned around at the mention of the other two wolves.

"Fuck those two. I'm almost positive they imprinted on two of the blood suckers. Parasites aren't welcome in my pack, I'm not accepting that shit any time soon."

Miller said nothing, and Murphy shrugged as he turned to head back to the Den, "Whatever, it's a good thing it isn't your pack then, right?"

With that he disappeared into the brush he previously emerged out of, Finn growled and punched the tree closest to him, "When I take over this pack I'm eliminating all the weaklings. Including him."

Miller grunted in response and walked off to head back to the Den as well.

Before Finn made to follow he could sense he was being watched again.

"Who the fuck is out there!? Come out and show yourself!"

He waited for any sign of movement scenting the air in an effort to pick up anything out of the ordinary, but there was nothing. There was no doubt in his mind that something or someone had been lurking in the woods for the last couple of days and something told him that he should be concerned.

When it was apparent that whatever or whoever it was that was watching him wasn't going to come out he darted after his pack mates and vowed to get to the bottom of the suspicious presence once he was done dealing with whatever bullshit Wells felt the need to discuss with the whole pack.

**(Still 3rd Person POV)**

_****Under the pier just outside The Wolf Den**** _

Wick kept one eye focused on the rocks he was skipping into the water before him and the other on Echo as she sat with her back against one of the large wooden posts supporting the boardwalk above them.

They'd both returned to the large bar that doubles as the wolf pack's den hours ago and could tell that their pack mates were starting to pick up on the change in their scent. It wouldn't be long before everyone put two and two together and figured out that they'd imprinted.

"You know staying outside isn't going to make a difference right? They already picked up on our scents when were in there."

Echo kept her eyes closed and her head tilted back against the wooden post, "I know that and I also know that it won't be long until Wells calls a pack meeting about it. I just want to enjoy these last few moments of peace before shit hits the fan."

Wick sighed and shook his head, "Do you really have to be so negative? I mean there's a chance that everything will work out okay you know."

Echo snorted.

"Yeah, okay. If you say so Wick."

He moved over to where she was sitting and plopped down in the sand next to her.

"Do you think they know?"

She knew he was referring to the vampire's and if she was honest with herself she could admit that she was curious as well.

"I don't know, but it's been almost a week and they haven't reached out or anything…" She opened her eyes and shrugged her shoulders in an effort to appear indifferent, "Maybe vampire and wolf imprinting doesn't work the same way, maybe it didn't take the way that it should and they don't feel it."

On the rare occasion that she was honest with herself over the last few days she found that she yearned to be close to her imprint but as the days wore on and her mate made no effort to seek her out she started to doubt whether or not he felt anything, that doubt quickly bred feelings of possible rejection and as soon as she became aware of those feels she pulled her walls up.

As far as she was concerned there was no way in hell she was going to allow a vampire to reject her imprint or not.

"I don't think that's possible Echo… You can't actually believe that we were both destined for defective imprinting."

Rationally she knew he was right, imprinting among their kind has never wrong or flawed, it was unheard of. She just didn't know why her mate had not made the effort to reach out to her.

"We should just go to them. Why won't you at least consider it? And before you say I'm welcome to go without you, remember that we are in this together and always will be."

Echo sighed dejectedly, Wick is her family and she knew that he meant every word. He would suffer without his mate for however long it took her to get over her pride and seek her own out.

The two of them were born into the same pack and have been best friends since they were pups well before their first shift when they were both 16. At 18 they barely got away when their entire pack was wiped out by a group of hunters.

They moved from town to town for a long time trying to lose the hunters that were trailing them. After almost a year they were finally able to shake them but they were on their own, without a pack which is one of the worst things for a young wolf to endure second only to the death of a mate.

Alphas, Betas and some Gammas can go longer periods without the need for a pack, but Omegas were never meant to be on their own. Echo lucked out and was born a Gamma so she was able to tolerate the loneliness to a certain extent, but as an Omega Wick yearned for a pack to be a part of and it was for that reason that the two of them searched endlessly for a new one to replace the one that was ripped away from them.

They took odd jobs in the towns they traveled through so they could earn money to survive. In their travels around the country they came across a few shifter packs but none of them were wolf packs.

When they were moving through the state of Washington they happened upon this town and it reeked of their kind. Tracking the scent led them to a seedy looking bar on the far end of the boardwalk positioned between the beach and the expansive forest that made up a lot of the town.

_The Wolf Den_  turned out to be a local watering hole run by the wolf shifter pack that laid claim to the territory. Their arrival was initially met with hostility from the small pack, but after explaining that they were lone wolves in search of a pack to call home the Alpha and owner of the bar Wells accepted them without much opposition from the other four pack members at the time; Miller who turned out to be a Gamma and three other Omegas Jasper, Monty and Murphy.

It's been four years since the two of them joined the pack and Echo was starting to get a sinking feeling that they might soon find themselves pack-less again over this whole imprinting business.

Echo stood up and brushed sand off of her jeans while Wick did the same.

"We may as well go get this over with."

She then turned and started to head up to the bar with Wick following close behind her a happy grin breaking out across his face.

"It'll be fine E.T., and even if they react badly I'm sure it will blow over eventually. A pack can't reject a wolf's imprint, remember that."

Echo shook her head slightly, "We'll see…"

It was still early afternoon so the bar was deserted, their patrons usually didn't start showing up until around 5pm. Mornings were usually spent taking care of whatever needed to be done around the bar such as: cleaning, repairs, and inventory since everyone in the pack earned their living off the proceeds of the establishment and on occasion they use the time to handle pack business.

When they made it inside Wells was behind the bar doing inventory and restocking, while Jasper and Monty tinkered about in the newly constructed and decked out sound booth.

Wick made his way over to the other two Omegas as soon as he noticed them, "You two are really serious about this night club thing aren't you?"

Jasper's head popped up from behind the mixer he was rewiring, "Why wouldn't we be? I'm telling you man we can double our profits if we start catering to the younger crowd."

Monty looked up from the box of parts he was sorting through and tossed something over to Jasper who caught it with ease and ducked back down to continue his rewiring.

"Jasper is right Wick, there are enough people in this town between the ages of 21 and 30 who are looking for a little excitement that does require driving all the way to Seattle."

Echo took a seat on one of the bar stools and watched as Wick helped Monty mount and steady a huge speaker in the back corner of the room. "The more they talk about it the more it makes sense to be honest. I mean we have the space to accommodate a dance floor and we already have the appropriate licenses. Why not give it a shot? We could only make more money as a result."

Jasper's head popped up again, "See, listen to your wiser half Abercrombie, we can  _ **ONLY**_  make  _ **MORE**_  money."

As Echo continued to watch the three Omegas work together to set up the new sound system Wells finished up his inventory list and made his way around the bar to take a seat on the stool beside her.

The two of them watched on for a few minutes and Echo could almost feel her Alpha evaluating her carefully.

"I called a pack meeting. Murphy went out to go get Finn and Miller off of patrol."

Echo nodded in understanding and kept her focus on the work going on in the sound booth.

"So, are we going to talk about the change in scent coming from the two of you?"

Wick stiffened slightly as he reached down to pick up another box filled with equipment but he didn't say anything.

Jasper and Monty both perked up both curious about the same thing.

Echo sighed, "Is this going to be a problem?" She asked turning to look her Alpha squarely in the eye.

Wells straightened at the clear challenge, from a Gamma no less, but before he could say anything the bar doors were pushed open and Murphy entered the room followed by both Miller and Finn.

Murphy smirked at the tension in the room as he moved behind the bar and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Miller took a seat on one of the couches that lined the wall opposite the bar and Finn strolled up to stand directly in front of Wells and Echo.

He sneered at Echo not even sparing a glance at Wells.

"Yeah. It's a problem." He advanced on her until there was less than a meter between the two of them. "You two aren't going to be bringing any parasites around here to stink the place up. I won't allow it." He growled out his last words which prompted Wells to jump to his feet.

Wells threw a hand out making immediate and harsh contact with the center of Finn's chest causing the Beta to stumble back a few feet.

" _You_  won't allow it?" He placed himself between Echo, who was still seated, and Finn who actually had the nerve to growl at his Alpha, "When did you become the Alpha of this pack Collins?"

Everyone in the room watched on as Finn straightened his posture and squared his shoulders. Jasper, Monty and Wick moved out of the sound booth and down the short flight of stairs to the ground floor. Miller sat up straight on the couch expecting to see a physical altercation and Murphy nonchalantly jumped up to take a seat on the pool table off to the side as he sucked back the beer in his hand.

"What? You're gonna allow this to Wells?" He took a step closer, "Turning a blind eye to a parasite stealing my girl from me isn't enough of an insult to our kind?"

A steady growl was starting to build in the Alpha's chest as Finn continued to slowly advance on him.

Echo moved from her position directly behind Wells knowing that if Finn choose to charge she would find herself on the bottom of that wolf pile.

"You ready to cross this line today Finn?"

Finn took another step towards Wells and Miller got up from his seated position and started to move in behind him to offer support if he chose to actually issue a challenge against the Alpha.

"You're running this pack into the ground Jaha. You're soft." He looked his Alpha up and down a disgusted sneer etched across his face, "You can't even beat a female parasite in a fight. That bitch owned you and we all saw it."

Wells snapped.

He lunged for the Beta, releasing a commanding roar that had everyone, even Miller, lowering their head in submission. He wrapped his hand around Finn's neck before he could even attempt to move out of the way and lifted him up off the ground.

"You don't want to test me boy. The only reason you are even in this pack is because of your lineage. I would snap your neck right now if it wasn't for your father."

Finn brought both of his hands up to his throat and tried to pry Wells off of him to no avail.

No one moved to intervene as Wells growled out a final warning, "If this is your attempt at a challenge let it be known. It'll give me an excuse to finally put an end to you."

As the last words left his mouth he released the Beta's neck causing him to lose his footing and fall back into Miller, who caught him and helped to steady his weight.

Once he had his breath back Finn settled his attention back on Echo who was smirking as she leaned back against the bar.

He pointed accusingly at her before raging at Wells, "You're letting this bitch and her bitch boy over there bring those half dead fucks into our Den?! Into our pack?!"

The smirk was immediately wiped clean from Echo's face as she moved faster than anyone was prepared for.

The sound of shattering bone reverberated throughout the room, closely followed by a pained wail from Finn.

Echo stood over his felled body, blood dripping from her balled up fist and a fierce growl rumbling in her chest.

Finn clutched at his shattered nose as copious amounts of blood flowed down his chin and onto his exposed chest.

Miller dropped into a defensive stance preparing to retaliate when Wells used the Alpha voice again.

"Enough!"

Heads dropped around the room once again. This time even Finn's.

"A wolf's imprint can't be questioned. I might not be happy about it, but no one in this room will cause any harm to either one of the imprints. Is that understood?"

He gazed around the room as everyone except from Finn and Miller nodded in agreement.

"You two have three choices: accept this and live with it, challenge me for my position as Alpha and over rule me, or break ties with the pack and leave the area." He gave them a meaningful look before continuing, "Just know that if you chose to leave this pack you will never be welcomed back."

Finn got to his feet with Miller's help, blood still leaking out of his broken nose his gaze swept around the room, lingering distastefully on Wick, Echo, and finally on Wells.

"You'll regret this Jaha, letting blood suckers into our pack is a mistake. One that will eventually ruin us and mark my words, when one of them kills you, I'll be here to take over as Alpha and I'll do what you clearly don't have the balls to do yourself."

With that he stormed out of the bar with Miller following behind him.

The room was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time, heavy with the leftover tension and the weight of Finn's parting words.

That was until Murphy piped up.

"That went well."

He finished off his beer. Hopped down from the pool table and strolled over to Echo to give her a firm pat on the back that actually made her stagger forward a bit.

"For the record, I couldn't give two shits who or what you imprinted on. Fuck 'em on the bar if you want, I don't care. Just promise me that if you're gonna set your vampire on anyone make sure it's that douchebag first."

He gave Wick a thumbs up as he passed by him on the way up the stairs to the sleeping quarters. Before he disappeared at the top of the stairs he called down, "Oh yeah, when you get in good with them if it's not too much trouble put in a good word for me. I wouldn't mind watching that Amazonian goddess show Finn's girl a real good time since I'm positive his little dick never got the job done… Never send a boy to do a woman's job I guess…"

His bedroom door slammed shut after that and just like that all the tension in the room dissipated and everyone started to laugh.

After a few minutes they all returned to what they were doing before Finn's fit. Jasper and Monty congratulated their pack mates for imprinting, expressing their agreement with Murphy's passing words and Wick and Echo took a seat at the bar with Wells.

Wick was the first to speak up, "We weren't going to keep you in the dark for much longer. It's just been a lot to take in, you know what I mean?"

Wells nodded in understanding and looked over at Echo, "I'm not happy about it, I've never heard of a shifter imprinting on a vampire before, but I suppose this is proof it's possible." He rubbed at the back of his neck and let out a sigh before continuing, "As I said, no harm will come to your imprints. It will just take some time for the whole pack to get used to the change."

Echo knew he was referring strictly to Finn and Miller but didn't want to come out and say it, "I know that his Dad was a member of the pack when your Mom was Alpha so I get why he was allowed in, but you have to know that he's trouble."

Wick nodded in agreement and Wells got up and moved back behind the bar.

"I know he's a problem, I've always known, but his dad is like a father to me... I can't just kick him out. He either needs to leave on his own or challenge me for Alpha. Outside of that, we all have to put up with him."

Just as Echo was getting ready to speak again Wells' phone started to vibrate on the bar.

He picked it up and read the incoming text, after contemplating its contents for a few seconds he addressed everyone in the room.

"The vampires want to have another meeting. They didn't say it, but it's more than likely about the imprinting. A few of them will be coming here tonight."

Echo's breath hitched a little and Wick noticed. He moved closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder to give it a firm squeeze.

"Looks like we finally get to officially meet our mates E.T. You ready?"

She glanced at him, then glanced at the room at everyone else before looking back up into his eyes.

"No, not really... But do I really have a choice?"

He grinned in response, "Hell no. You've been dragging ass for way too long time to rip the bandage off."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Again, sorry for the delay. I hope that with the progress that was made, especially for the wolf storyline, it made the wait worth it. I know it was a bit light on the Clexa interactions but Clarke is passed out from their woodland escapade, so yeah…**

**Anyway, comment and let us know if the amount of Non-Clexa content was too much for one chapter and I will be sure to take that into consideration in upcoming chapters.**

**I will say however that although this is a Clexa centric fic, there will be important things happening with the other core characters as well and those things will need to be soused out in the interest of providing you guys with a well-rounded story experience so it's kind of unavoidable.**

**It's my hope that everyone can kind of form a bond with the rest of the characters and get invested in their struggle as well as Clexa's as the story progresses. Clarke and Lexa are the center of this fic though, so their content will always heavily outweigh everyone else's in the larger picture so don't worry about that.**

**Okay, I'm done talking. Comment/review and tell us what you thought. Your feedback helps with that hard to find motivation I mentioned in the beginning.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:**

**Hey guys, the wait was most definitely too long and for that once again I apologize and acknowledge that I deserve no forgiveness whatsoever. Life really just crept up on me, I didn't have the motivation to sit down and write and I've been between apartments for the last month and a bit, finally got to move into my new apartment two weeks, so I'm super amped because it's an awesome place.**

**The good news is this chapter is super long and has a good amount of content for all the characters you've been introduced to so far so we can push along the different storylines.**

**Look, more good news! The next chapter is already written and I've turned it over to Lupa to beta, the one after that is about 80% done and I will be submitting that one for beta reading and editing within the next couple of days. However, Lupa started classes again a few weeks ago so I do not plan to rush her with the editing, knowing her though she will get it all done and back to me in a timely fashion so that I can post. In the meantime I have already started to work a head and I'm really excited for your guys to read what I have coming up.**

**Now, this chapter contains a little experiment… It's been pointed out by a few people that my 3** **rd** **person sections are better written than my 1st person ones. So with that in mind I am now attempting to do a kind of fusion of the two to see if it reads better. In this chapter you will notice the change. I didn't want to go completely 3** **rd** **person for the entire story because I like writing the story through Clarke and Lexa's points of views, but I completely understand what everyone is saying.**

**Let me know if the fusion 1** **st** **person/3** **rd** **person sections reads okay. If the majority of people like it I will continue doing it. If not, I will stop and either continue with some of the story being in 1** **st** **person OR transition the whole story going forward into all 3** **rd** **person POV.**

**I hope you enjoy this update, and please do not forget to drop us a line with your thoughts on the happenings in the story so far. I would also like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited, subscribed, bookmarked and/or commented and reviewed on this story so far. It is deeply appreciated and provides me with much needed motivation to keep writing. Keep those comments and reviews coming Lupa and I love to read your feedback and theories on where you think the story is heading.**

**Okay, sorry for the lengthy author's note. I'll shut up now. Enjoy reading.**

**#####TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Rape and Sex slavery, absolutely nothing in graphic detail, or any detail at all other than the mentioning. But I want to be safe and warn those who require warning that the topics do appear below#####**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**(3** **rd** **person POV)**

****The Wolf Den Bar****

Callie, Marcus, Raven and Bellamy entered the wolf run establishment on guard. There were members of the pack scattered around the room and all but 3 of them bristled as the scented the vampires in the room.

Wells stepped forward and greeted the coven first.

"I've already informed them that there is to be no violence during this meeting."

Callie scanned the room critically before taking Wells' offered hand acknowledging their brief truce.

"I will hold you to that wolf and you will be held accountable if any of your pack step out of line."

Callie held his gaze as Marcus continued to scan the room making sure that none of the assembled wolves were making designs to go against their Alpha's orders once again.

As he scanned the room he noticed that two of the wolves were eyeing Bellamy and Raven rather closely.

The female had her eyes firmly fixed on Bellamy and her expression showed some kind of guarded curiosity and slight affection beneath a mask of mistrust. Bellamy gazed back at her in question a frown etched across his face as he clearly started to read her thoughts.

The male wolf shifter standing beside her had eyes only for Raven and it appeared as though he was holding back from moving towards her.

Marcus could tell that he meant her no harm since his eyes held nothing but affection. Raven returned his gaze in equal fashion, causing the boy to smile.

Callie brought all eyes back to her interaction with the alpha.

"I'm sure most if not all of you are aware of the reason we've requested this meeting."

Wells nodded in encouragement for her to go on.

"Something clearly occurred between two of your pack members and my son and daughter in that clearing last week."

She glanced between Raven and Bellamy and the two wolves that could not take their eyes off the two of them.

Wells spoke up as he too took notice of the glances that were being exchanged between his pack mates and the two vampires.

"It would appear that my pack brother and sister, Wick and Echo," he pointed to both respectively, "have imprinted on your… son and daughter." The titles were said in barely masked hatred and discomfort.

Callie leveled him with a calculated stare, "Will this be a problem for you and your pack mates?"

Wells puffed up his chest and held Callie's gaze, "We respect the imprinting between a wolf and their mate. Although we would have preferred for our pack brother and sister to have not been paired with parasi- your kind, it is something that we will accept."

Marcus looked at him skeptically.

"Do you speak for every member of your pack?"

Wells hesitated before deciding to go with the truth rather than having a lie come back to bite him in the ass, "Two of our pack brothers, Finn and Miller, have already made their anger and refusal to accept the imprinting known before the whole pack and it is something that we will be monitoring and taking care of. This is not your concern."

Callie immediately advanced on him, getting right in his face.

"Do not fool yourself into misguided delusions Alpha. Those are the two that have already made attempt to do harm to members of my coven. I will tell you this. It is my concern, I have and will continue to make it my concern if either of them make attempt to stand in the way of this imprint or attempt further harm on any of my children or their mates."

She took a step back and Marcus took his position beside her.

"Are we understood?"

Wells eyed the two vampires carefully before nodding in understanding.

"We should head to my office to discuss alteration to the treaty agreement so that the imprints may come and go freely across the border."

Callie nodded and she and Marcus both cast a questioning look to Bellamy and Raven. Callie met Bellamy's gaze and they shared a silent exchange, he nodded his understanding before the coven leaders and Wells disappeared into the Alpha's office.

Left to their own devices the rest of the wolf pack watched on as Bellamy, Raven, Echo and Wick stood awkwardly before each other.

Murphy cracked open a beer and plopped down in one of the overstuffed couches to watch the train wreck that was basically set up by their "parents".

Jasper and Monty grinned as Wick slowly started to shuffle his way towards Raven who tried to pretend that she didn't notice.

Bellamy crossed his arms across his chest and eyed his mate curiously while trying to maintain a façade of indifference.

Echo reached for a beer of her own and took a seat on one of the barstools determined to force Bellamy to make the first move.

"Wow… are you losers serious?" Murphy had already had enough of the ridiculous nonsense after only a few minutes of awkward silence.

Echo leveled him with an annoyed expression.

Wick blushed, stuffed one of his hands into his pocket and used the other to rub at the back of his neck. He finally found his courage and approached Raven who was doing all she could to hide a grin.

"So… you wanna go for a walk or something. To talk I mean?" When Raven didn't immediately respond his blush deepened and he went on. "I mean… We can always just talk here if you want, I jus-"

Raven decided to have mercy on him so she reached to take hold of his hand which she found to be surprisingly hot to the touch and comforting.

"Don't hurt yourself Wolfboy. I'll take you out for a walk."

In any other circumstance the dog comment would have been taken as a back handed insult but Wick laughed wholeheartedly and allowed her to tug him behind her like a lovesick puppy.

"Well that was disturbingly cheesy." Murphy commented which caused Jasper and Monty to laugh in the background.

"Two down, two to go." Jasper piped up.

Monty pulled out his wallet and shamelessly dropped a twenty on the table, "20 bucks says Echo makes the first move."

"Pffft" Jasper pulled out his own wallet, "20 says tall dark and brooding does."

Echo huffed, "You do realize we can hear you idiots right?"

Jasper and Monty paid her statement no mind and continued to watch.

"This is pathetic. I have better things to do." Murphy walked in between the mated pair and looked Bellamy up and down, "Shit or get off the pot dude."

As he passed by the table that Jasper and Monty were occupying he snatched up the 40 dollars and stuffed it into his pocket before either of them could even express their displeasure.

"Don't you two nerds have a storeroom to reorganize? I distinctly remember our fearless leader saying something about it being punishment for playing porn sound bites on that old shitty sound system while the over 40 year olds were having their tragic speed dating debacle in here last week."

Monty hung his head in embarrassment, "I told you that was a bad idea dude…"

Jasper sniffed in indifference before a wide grin graced his face, "Whatever man, you know that shit was funny. Mrs. Turner the 45 year old virgin nearly dropped a brick."

He dissolved in laughter at the memory causing Monty to reluctantly join in.

As Murphy made his way out the back door he offered his parting words, "If that stuck up bitch actually ended up taking a shit on this floor I would have made you both clean it up with your tongues."

Monty shivered in disgust while Jasper flipped Murphy the bird.

"Let's go tackle this damn stock room and get it out of the way, I'll fall asleep in here watching this standoff."

The two shifters disappeared into one of the back rooms and Bellamy and Echo were left alone in the suddenly large and quiet room.

Echo stubbornly sip at her beer as Bellamy continued to impassively case the place.

After five whole minutes of reading his mate's thoughts and getting nothing but her extensive assessment of the cheap beer she was sipping on he got fed up.

He cracked.

"Are we going to talk about this?"

Echo shrugged.

"I'm all ears."

Bellamy huffed and begrudgingly took a seat at the bar leaving two bar stools between the two of them.

"Did you really imprint on me?"

Echo didn't meet his gaze as she started to peel the label off of her now lukewarm beer.

"Well if you really have to ask me that then I guess it didn't take very well."

Bellamy was finally able to pick up on Echo's insecure thoughts that whispered quietly beneath the more mundane thoughts concerning her tragically warm beer that apparently now tasted like piss.

Bellamy grinned before he could catch himself, "You know what piss tastes like because?"

Echo slammed her beer onto the bar, "Damnit! You're the mind reader. Ugh! Of course I would get mated to the mind reader."

Bellamy laughed a little once he realized that she wasn't truly upset.

"Are you going to be doing that all the time?"

He moved over to the barstool next to her so that there was now only one stool separating them.

Echo took notice, but decided not to comment on it.

"Not if you don't want me to." He sounded genuinely concerned that his ability would upset his shifter mate and reared back a little when he realized that he had just thought of her as his mate. For the first time the thought was not weighed down by feelings of oppressive disgust and betrayal.

Echo started to play with the beer bottle label again, "I don't have a problem with it… Yet."

She then looked up offering him a genuine smile and he couldn't help but smile back at her as it warmed his cool slow beating heart.

Under the glow of the hanging bar light he was finally able to really take in his mate's features and he found her to be the most beautiful thing he'd ever set eyes on.

They both reached out at the same time. When their hands made contact over the bar counter for the first time Bellamy felt a small sliver of the hatred he felt for her kind fall away.

He knew that it would take time for him to fully accept being mated to a shifter of the same breed as those who attempted to take his sister away from him permanently but under Echo's comforting touch he vowed to at least make the effort to try and hurry the process along.

_****Meanwhile out on the boardwalk**** _

Raven sat at the end of the pier with her legs dangling and Wick sitting as closely as he dared next to her.

He glanced over at her and she smirked as she waited from him to say whatever it was that he's been desperately trying to hold in.

She didn't have to wait very long.

"You're freakin beautiful."

She half expected that, but what she didn't expect was the fluttering feeling his declaration caused in her chest.

She threw on her signature bravado and responded in kind, "You're real easy on the eyes yourself. You're really rocking that Abercrombie and Fitch look."

When his jaw dropped indignantly she outright laughed, "What? What's wrong with that?"

He threw his arms up in the air and spoke as though he were questioning God himself.

"Even my imprint?"

Raven laughed again, "What's the big deal?"

He sighed and shifted a little closer to her.

"It's a running joke in the pack, that's their nickname for me, Abercrombie."

Raven couldn't help herself she started to boisterously laugh at her mate's expense.

He watched her under the moonlight and smiled softly as he sat and enjoyed her beautiful laughter.

By the time Raven finally calmed down she noticed that Wick was now sitting right next to her.

He gazed at her in complete adoration.

"My name is Kyle by the way."

When she gazed at him in confusion he elaborated.

"My first name. It's Kyle. Wick is my last name. But everyone calls me that now."

Raven nodded in understanding, "Why the switch? Kyle isn't so bad."

He placed his left arm behind her next to her left hip and his right slightly behind himself so that he could lean his weight back and use them as support.

Raven noticed the almost embrace that she found herself in and she could feel the signature shifter heat raising up off of her mate's skin reaching out to warm her own.

"Echo and I are best friends, she's more of a sister to me than a best friend to be honest. We've known each other our whole lives and she's stuck by my side through every horrible thing that I have memory of. She never really liked the name Kyle, always called me Wick and I guess it just kind of stuck."

He shrugged and turned to his imprint who was now studying him carefully.

"She's not always so grumpy, I'd really like for you guys to get to know each other. You're both very important to me."

Raven's eyes glistened a little in awe of being measured up to someone who was clearly very important to her mate and actually making the cut.

She smiled and nodded, leaning into his body just a little more.

"I'd like that very much Wick."

They gazed at each other, mapping out every detail of the other's face before finally eyes settled on lips.

"I'd really like to kiss you Raven."

The vampire gasped a little before nodding her head and leaning in.

When their lips met Raven and Wick both felt like they'd finally found home.

**(Clarke Centric – 3** **rd** **person POV)**

_****Dream**** _

_**Clarke found herself standing in a beautiful pasture covered in lush green grass. In its center a herd of sheep went about their business of grazing and congregating.** _

_**As she moved into the center of the pasture to investigate the sheep she heard what sounded like whimpering and growling coming from behind a small hill just past the herd. She wondered what or who the sounds originated from and started to make her way around the hill.** _

_**What she found caused her to pause in surprise.** _

_**The man she'd come to know as Thelonious from her previous dream was crouched over an equally dark skinned woman dressed in some kind of tribal wear.** _

_**He was growling as his shoulders heaved violently. The woman in his arms whimpered weakly and seemed to be trying to pry him off by the back of his black robe, but it didn't appear that she was having any luck.** _

_**Clarke slowly circled them to get a better view remembering her exclusive spectator status from her last dream sequence. Thelonious' amber eyes were glowing brightly as he continued to take in deep pulls of her life's blood.** _

_**Clarke staggered back from the scene as he retracted his fangs and threw his head back in ecstasy. The woman reached up and gently stroked his face with a small smile on her face before her eyes closed and she fell into unconsciousness.** _

_**He gazed down at the woman in his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead.** _

" _ **Are you satisfied my friend?" A voice asked from Clarke's right.**_

_**When she looked over Dante, Cage and Helena were seated beneath a tall tree atop the hill leading down into the pasture.** _

_**They all had genuine smiles stretched across their faces.** _

" _ **Yes, I am. She is my Mate and she wanted this. I would not be able to go on if she were to grow old and die."**_

_**Cage flashed down the hill over to Thelonious' side placing his hand on the other vampire's shoulder. Thelonious looked up at him in gratitude and nodded.** _

" _ **You've watched over Indra since she was a child. I'm glad you've found your reason to continue existing brother."**_

_**Just then the woman arched her back in Thelonious' arms and let loose an ear piercing scream that traveled over the rolling hills for what seemed like miles.** _

_**Helena and Dante approached the two and she smiled encouragingly at Thelonious, "Now comes the hard part brother, it will be three days until you can hold your love in your arms again and it will not be a pleasant three days for either of you."** _

_**Dante scanned the area around them before looking down at Indra still securely cradled in Thelonious' arms.** _

" _ **We should return now before her screams start to attract unwanted attention."**_

_**With that Thelonious rose from his crouched position with Indra in his arms. Once upright they all flashed out of the clearing. Clarke tried to follow their movements but it was as if they vanished into thin air.** _

_**When she focused back into her immediate surroundings she noticed Helena looking her way, a knowing smile on her face.** _

_**Clarke returned her gaze but she knew that she couldn't be looking at her** _ _**, in the last dream no one was aware of her presence, she was simply a spectator.** _

_**But then Helena whispered something that shocked her to the core…** _

" _ **Soon Clarke," and then she vanished.**_

_**Clarke's knees buckled as the words registered.** _

_**She felt as though something was being ripped out of my stomach. The pain caused her to drop to the ground immediately prompting her to curl into the fetal position.** _

_**Then everything faded to black…** _

_****End of Dream**** _

Clarke woke suddenly, panting and clutching at the phantom pain in her stomach. She was sweating profusely and in her panic she scented the air in the room in search of Lexa but it was clear that the vampire was not in the room with her and hadn't been for quite some time.

As she took some deep breaths to help in calming herself down, she realized that she could smell everything inside their bedroom, through the thick oak door, and into the hallway. She could even pick up all the scents on the first floor and to her surprise everything within what her brain told her was a hundred yard radius of the house.

Clarke reeled back at the realization that she was almost completely tapped into everything and everyone around the house as well being able to tell just how far her heightened senses would take her.

She could smell that Marcus, Lincoln, and Raven were in the house, but Bellamy, Lexa, Octavia and Callie were not present. Their scent had start fading slightly letting Clarke know that the four vampires had been gone for a while.

As she swung her legs off of the bed and stood up, she noticed that she felt somehow stronger and more stable on her feet.

She took a few steps away from the bed and felt lighter, her sight had improved once again evidenced by the fact that she could now make out the dust particles that were floating around in the air around her.

The pain in her stomach was almost completely gone and as she moved around the room getting herself acclimated with her new found acute awareness of her body and environment she got the distinct feeling that someone was watching her.

When she looked up she noticed that the glass that made up the entirety of one of the bedroom walls was now completely dimmed to black. She could just make out the forest surrounding the property through the tinted surface, but knew anyone that might be outside the house would not be able to do the same. She moved closer to the glass and gazed deeply into the foliage trying to find the source of the feeling but she couldn't see anything or anyone.

Deciding that she was probably just being paranoid after the dream she just woke from she shook the feeling off and proceeded to take a hot shower while she waited for Lexa to get back.

Once dressed she made her way down the stairs and into the living room where she found Raven playing a video game while she lounged on the floor beneath the giant TV screen mounted on the wall.

"Good evening sunshine." The vampire tilted her head back to get a better view of her as she stepped into the living room and took a seat on one of the sofas.

Clarke smiled down at her and relaxed back into the sofa cushions.

"Do you know where Lexa went?"

Raven returned her attention to the TV screens before answering, "Yeah, she went out training with Callie and O, they should be back soon."

Clarke nodded in thanks for the information.

"And Bellamy?"

Raven seemed a little dejected when she answered, "He's with his mate, the female wolf shifter from the clearing…"

Clarke could tell that something was bothering the vampire as she watched her.

"Lexa mentioned that the two of you may have found your mates in two of the shifters. Did your meeting with your own mate not go well?"

Raven sighed in frustration.

"No, it went well… It's just his turn to patrol their territory. The Alpha said it might not be a good idea for me to join him on his patrol, but it's only been a few hours since we solidified the imprinting. I miss him already and I feel weak and pathetic for being so needy already."

Clarke understood where the vampire was coming from as she thought about her own constant need to always have Lexa by her side.

"I know the feeling Raven, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get used to not having Lexa at my beck and call constantly. Even right now all I want to do is go out and find her."

After a few minutes of silence Raven spoke up again, "Want in on this while you wait?" She gestured towards the TV and waved a second controller in the air without taking her eyes off of the screen.

Clarke shrugged figuring that it wouldn't hurt to partake in a little distraction while she awaits the return of her mate. He moved from her position on the sofa to take a seat on the ground next to Raven as she started up a new match on what she now realized was Call of Duty Black Ops.

"Clarke."

She glanced over at Raven who was still lying flat on her back with her eyes fixed on the TV screen.

"I want you to know that it's a piss poor thing what your parents did. I know a thing or two about fucked up parents… Just know that we're here for you, you're family now, and we stand by our own no matter what."

Clarke continued to gaze at the vampire whose facial expression remained harden throughout the entirety of her declaration.

She wondered what Raven meant by 'knowing a thing or two about fucked up parents' knowing that she couldn't possibly be referring to Callie and Marcus but more likely to her human parents.

The curiosity filled the space between them and as the silence stretched on Raven finally turned to look her in the eye.

"I can almost hear your curiosity. If you have the stomach for it, I can tell you about them… about the reason I was turned."

Clarke could tell that the memories were painful for the young vampire, and curiosity or not she did not want to be the reason why Raven dredged up something that obviously was deeply painful and personal.

"You don't have to do that Raven, I wou-"

Raven interrupted her before she could continue, "No, I wouldn't offer to tell you if I really didn't want to. Like I said, you're family now, and we don't keep secrets from each other."

She placed her controller on the ground beside her and sat up turning towards Clarke Indian style. Clarke placed her controller down as well and did the same.

"My mother and father were both drunks. It was 1908 and we were living in the slums of New York City. My Father was a dock worker and my mother worked in a laundromat, they both barely made enough money to keep food on the table," she then laughed bitterly, "not like they did even that, they much preferred to spend whatever money they had on booze and opium. I had to steal to eat most days, sometimes went weeks barely eating anything at all…"

Clarke could feel her heart breaking for Raven who was now playing with the carpet fibers beneath her fingers.

"I was 18 years old when my Father died while working down at the docks, he was drunk and fell into the water. He never did learn how to swim and in his drunken stupor he sank to the bottom almost completely unnoticed by the other dock hands…"

She lifted her gaze and looked over to the glass door leading out to the back yard almost like she was watching the events unfold from memory.

"A month before that I had found a job paying almost nothing in an iron factory, in a freak accident I took an iron rod through my left leg… I tried to hide it because I knew we couldn't afford the cost of going to see a doctor, but the wound festered and began to give off a noticeable stench."

Clarke grimace knowing from her History classes what the conditions were like for the poor living in the slums of a large city like New York during that time, on top of remembering seeing such wounds at the hospital when she used to visit her Mother while she was an emergency room surgeon.

"When my father discovered it, he immediately started taking more shifts to try to get the money to take me to see a doctor. He was a drunk and was never really interested in me after I hit puberty, but I have a few good memories of being his princess when I was a child."

Raven was quiet for a few minutes and Clarke watched as a small smile graced her lips. It was clear that the vampire was reliving some of those small cherished memories, so Clarke sat silently as she waited for her to continue.

"When my Mother found out she was less than understanding. She demanded that he throw me out of the house. She didn't see a point in spending hard earned money on a daughter that was 18 and still without a husband completely dependent on them."

Clarke inhaled sharply unable to understand how a woman could feel that way about her own child. Even though her own mother had recently disappointed her for the first time in her life, she knew that deep down Abby still loves her the way that any mother innately should love their offspring.

"As I laid in my bed in our drafty little house feverish and malnourished I could hear them arguing over it for days on end. The days wore on, bleeding together as my condition got worse. The fights became physical. My father refused to throw me out and my mother refused to back down. He finally saved up enough money to buy the medicine that the doctor said I would need to fight off the infection, but the night he brought it home and gave it to me they had the worse fight I'd ever heard them have. My mother broke almost every possession we had in the house and my father ended up beating her to within an inch of her life…"

Clarke could feel her eyes begin to water and her breathing start to stagger.

"When I woke up a few days later the fever had broken and I was finally able to get myself out of bed. After cleaning myself up as best as I could and redressing my wound with the new clean bandages that my father left me with the medicine I went into the kitchen."

Raven looked up at this point and met Clarke's gaze, her eyes were now almost completely black and it looked as though she was about to cry.

"My mother was in the kitchen and there was a large strange man sitting at the table with her… There was something off about him, something in the back of my mind kept telling me to run. Run as fast and as far as I could, but as soon as my Mother saw me standing in the doorway she got up and roughly took hold of my arm dragging me towards the strange man."

Clarke immediately knew where this was heading, she remembered Lexa mentioning that humans have a natural survival instinct that warned them to stay clear of vampire's.

"Raven…"

She once again stopped Clarke before she could continue.

"No, it's okay. Let me finish."

Clarke nodded and Raven took a deep unnecessary breath before going on.

"When he stood up and turned to look at me it felt as if my heart was about to beat out of my chest. He was by far the largest man I'd ever seen and his eyes were blood red. He had a predatory smile on his face as he looked me over from top to bottom and somehow I just knew exactly where this was headed."

Clarke had a dark suspicion that she knew as well.

"I looked over to my mother and asked her where Father was. She pushed me towards the stranger and spat out that he was dead, and that it was my fault. She told me that he drowned working to pay for medicine that he should never have bought for me in the first place."

At this point Clarke noticed a small trail of blood leaking down the side of the vampire's face from her tear duct. Raven quickly wiped it away and sat up straight.

"The man grabbed me by the back of my neck holding me in place while I struggled to get free and threw a small pouch on the kitchen table. The contents of the pouch spilled out across the decaying wood revealing that it was full of unmarked gold coins."

Rage boiled in the pit of Clarke's stomach as her suspicions proved true.

"She'd sold me to him… After she snatched up the gold she gazed down at it with a sick smile on her face not even sparing me a glance. The stranger hit me in the back of the head and hoisted me up over his shoulder. I remember hearing her say, "Pleasure doing business with you" as the stranger laughed and made his way out of the front door. The last thing I saw before I blacked out completely was my Mother clutching the pouch of gold to her chest as if it were a newborn baby."

Clarke reached out and took one of Raven's hands between hers and gave it a firm squeeze.

"I'm so sorry Raven…"

The vampire looked down to their joined hands and a small sad smile briefly graced her lips as she nodded in acceptance of the gesture.

"When I woke up again I didn't know how much time had passed. I was in some kind of cage in a dank room made of stone. The wound on my leg was almost completely healed and I felt almost healthy. I sat in a cramped cage situated in the very center of the room for what felt like days, but was probably just a few hours before the door to the room finally opened and a small old woman came in. I tried to get her attention as she place a bowl of food in front of the cage within my reach but she wouldn't respond."

Raven started to play with the carpet fibers again with her free hand and Clarke noticed a frown taking over her features.

"It wasn't until several meal deliveries later that I realized why she didn't respond to me when I spoke to her. She was deaf, blind, and apparently a mute as well."

Clarke began to fear what would be coming next.

"When the wound had finally started to scab over and I'd put on a bit of healthy weight the stranger made an appearance in the room. I woke up that day and the cage door was open, I initially thought that the old woman had opened it and immediately scrambled out hoping to figure out a way to escape but before I would even make it to the door I heard a chilling voice behind me…"

Raven pulled her hand out of Clarke's grasp gently at this point and glanced over to the glass doors to the backyard.

"When I looked over to the darkest corner of the room the stranger stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing that predatory smile again and introduced himself as Lucius. He told me that from then on I was to refer to him as master and that my mother had sold me into his service… He told me that he had plans for me, plans that he needed me healthy for the entire time he spoke he circled the room forcing me back against the cage I'd just crawled out of."

Clarke wanted to tell her to stop. Wanted to tell her she didn't need to continue because she wasn't sure she could handle hearing what came next, but she knew that at this point Raven just wanted to get the rest of the story out so that she wouldn't have to bring it up again.

"After that day he came to my cell frequently… He raped me enough times that I eventually lost count and after a while the encounters became even more violent, the old woman would come in after every encounter and silently tend to my wounds as I dropped in and out of consciousness. The first time he bit and fed on me as he was… finishing… I put two and two together and realized what he was. The blood red eyes, the feeling of terror that his presence in the room caused me. His inhuman strength and speed. He was a nightwalker… a hell beast. I used to hear stories as a child while I snuck around in the markets trying to steal something to eat of demons in human skin who lurked about at night feeding of the blood of those who wondered into the wrong areas alone. I didn't believe them when I was a child… but clearly I was wrong."

It wasn't until Clarke could taste salt on her lips that she realized she'd been crying, she couldn't imagine being in the position that Raven found herself in. Trapped, afraid, betrayed by her own flesh and blood, by her own mother who should have protected her at all cost, but instead sold her off to a vampire to be used as a sex slave and a blood bag.

"There were no windows in the room I was being kept in but I knew that months were passing and as they wore on fear and betrayal turned into anger. I stopped fighting him because I realized that it would only cause me further injury. He thought he'd finally broken me and started to allow me a bit of freedom. I was no longer locked in the cage in the time between our encounters, and after a while I was allowed to roam about the large dilapidated mansion he had claimed as his own. There were other vampire's living there with him and they each had their own blood slave, I know now that they were a nomadic coven. I was never allowed to come into contact with the other blood slaves and a vampire always shadowed me as I wandered around the mansion eliminating any chance for escape."

Raven got up from her spot on the floor and made her way over to a painting that hung on the wall of her new family. She touched the frame reverently and closed her eyes briefly before turning to look at Clarke.

"One night he entered my room and I could tell that he was more than a little upset. He started ranting and raving about the Triad and enforcers I could barely understand what he was going on about but soon figured out that his coven had been attacked and wiped out by the enforcers he mentioned, only he remained. I knew that this would be my only opportunity to try to escape but before I could build up the courage to make a mad ill-advised dash out of the door he left open when he entered, he was on me."

Raven placed both hands behind her, took a deep breath and tipped her head back slightly, a small growl made its way up from her chest at this point and Clarke knew they had reached the point in the retelling that covers the circumstances surrounding her being turned.

"He was much more vicious and reckless with my body that night… but in his crazed state he'd made a terrible mistake. He came into my room that night with his sword still strapped to his waist."

Raven grinned maliciously as she revealed this portion of the story and Clarke smiled knowing that Lucius was about to get what was definitely coming to him.

"As he was finishing and his fangs were deeply embedded in my throat well on the way to sucking me dry I used the very last of my strength to reach down and unsheathe the weapon without his notice. I brought it up behind him clutching the hilt of the sword with my right hand and the tip of the blade in my left. He was so engrossed in draining me that he took no notice and as my vision started to tunnel and my body started to go limp I jerked the blade towards me and into the back of his neck… adrenaline coursed through my body as I cut into his spinal cord at the base of his skull luckily finding the cartilage between the bones of his vertebrae. He flinched and retracted his fangs immediately but by then it was too late for him. I sawed through the rest of the cartilage and his body went limp on top of me."

Clarke felt satisfaction course through her system as she witnessed the proud look that overcame Raven's features. A half dead human girl was able to put an end to vampire's existence.

_**Serves that fucker right.** _

"I'd lost a lot of blood, an insane amount of blood. But I had just enough adrenaline coursing through my system to push him off of me, remove his head completely and use the torch outside my room to set the mansion on fire. It wasn't until I was stumbling through the woods surrounding the property, still bleeding profusely, that I started to feel like I was burning up from the inside out. I collapsed and screamed until I blacked out. When I woke up again, Callie and Marcus were both hovering over me and I was laying in the softest bed I'd ever come in contact with. They'd been hunting in the area when they heard and sniffed me out. I had all my memories when I work up, which I'm sure Lexa already explained to you made me very lucky, and I asked them about the mansion. They told me that they tracked my path back to it and made sure that it was completely burned to the ground. After they helped me getting used to my new existence as a vampire they offered me a place in their family and here I stand now."

Clarke stood from her position on the floor and made her way over to where Raven was standing gazing at the painting of their coven.

She stood next to the vampire and studied the painting as well, taking note of how happy they all look to be with each other.

"Thank you for sharing that with me Raven, I'm so happy that it was Callie and Marcus that found you. After everything you went through in your life no one deserves parents like them as much as you do."

A giant smile spread across Raven's face as she placed her hand over the image of Callie and Marcus holding each other with her and her siblings surrounding them.

"They are the best thing to have ever happened to me and I would do anything to protect them and this family."

She then looked over to Clarke and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "You included."

Clarke smiled brightly and pulled the vampire into a brief heartfelt hug, "That means the world to me Raven."

After parting Raven gave her head a shake and moved back to plop down in her spot in front of the TV.

"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, how about we actually get down to playing this game. Your Lexus can't stay away from you for long, so I need to get in as much time with you as I can before she comes to steal you away."

Clarke chuckled and took her seat next to the vampire picking up her abandoned controller and gearing up for what she's sure would be a decent ass whooping.

**(Lexa Centric - 3rd person)**

****5 miles from the mansion****

Deep in the woods away from the prying eyes of the mortal population Callie sat calmly on a fallen tree as Lexa and Octavia worked together to clear an area for their training session.

It was Callie's idea to try to get started on Lexa's berserker control training while Clarke slept off Lexa's last feeding.

Heda was not happy with re-initiating the control therapy and she made her dissatisfaction known by giving Lexa the silent treatment.

"You know sometimes I wonder if you enjoy irritating Heda."

Callie kept her eyes closed as she relaxed against the tree with a slightly mischievous smirk stretched across her face.

"Sometimes I wonder why she gets irritated by me so easily. You know as well as I do that we need to strengthen your defenses now that you've found Clarke."

Octavia took a seat next to Callie as Lexa moved away the last piece of forest debris in their way.

"Have you had a chance to talk to Clarke about the whole berserker thing?"

Even though Lexa shared the story of her turning that also involved her first experience in losing control of her body to the berserker the subject hadn't come up again over the last week. She knew that eventually she would have to sit her mate down and go over the finer details surrounding the other entity that she shares her body with but it wasn't really something she was in a hurry to do.

The Berserker is something that had always been with her, she was born a berserker in a dormant state until the vampire venom interacted with the gene, unleashing an almost uncontrollable predisposition towards violence, mayhem and destruction. It's a part of her that she wasn't excited to explain to her mate after already revealing her vampire beast.

"I've already shared my turning story with her, but we have not revisited the subject. I plan on telling her everything about the berserker as well as the training. I just need some time to organize my thoughts. She already knows about Heda, and with what is happening between her and her parents adding the berserker on top of that just seems to be a lot right now."

Octavia nodded in understanding. The younger vampire had her own berserker that she always needed to keep in check but unlike Lexa explaining that part of herself to Lincoln was far less complicated given his heritage, and prior experience with the subject.

Callie stood and made her way into the center of the clearing they'd just made.

"Okay Lexa, in this session Octavia will be engaging you in combat. She won't let up, she will use everything she has short of giving over control to her own berserker and you are to defend yourself to the best of your ability without losing control of your body."

She gave them both a measured look and moved out off to the side.

"Begin whenever you are both ready, do not hold back. The point of this exercise is to learn your limits and know exactly when you reach the point of no return."

Lexa and Octavia both dropped into a low crouch as they circled each other.

Octavia smirked as she faked a lunge toward the other vampire causing her to rapidly shift her position, "I'm not going to go easy on you Lexus."

Lexa chastised herself for flinching and widened her stance as she focused on Octavia's footing, "Isn't that the whole point?"

Lexa took a deep breath as her eyes darkened. She let out a rumbling growl as she pushed off of her toes and threw herself into Octavia's midsection leading with her right shoulder.

The younger vampire growled in return absorbing the impact by folding her body over Lexa's back and wrapping her arms around her torso. Once she had a firm grip she used what remained of Lexa's momentum to lift the vampire's body off of the ground and toss her over her left shoulder.

Lexa landed flat on her back with a grunt and immediately sprung back up to her feet using her hands and shoulders to face Octavia in a defensive stance once again.

Octavia grinned mockingly at her and gestured for Lexa to come at her again.

"Focus Lexa!"

Thoughts of getting back to her mate as soon as possible needed to be set aside, so Lexa squared her shoulders centered herself and focused completely on Octavia taking note of the fact that she was resting almost all of her weight on her back right leg.

With this in mind Lexa charged at the younger vampire once again taking aim at her midsection, Octavia smirked thinking that Lexa was going to try the same maneuver so she further planted her right foot to once again absorbed the blow. At the last second Lexa dropped her weight sliding under Octavia's wide stance in a half seated position delivering a devastating blow to her right knee as she passed through her legs.

Octavia crumbled on impact giving Lexa time to pop back up and latch onto her back her strong thighs wrapped around the younger vampire's waist and her arms wrapped around her neck in a firm chokehold.

"Break the hold Octavia!"

Octavia threw her head back slamming it squarely into Lexa's face which resulted in a loud crunch breaking the other vampire's nose and forcing her to release her grip to get away from another blow.

Octavia scrambled out of her reach and got back to her feet quickly as Lexa hand shot up to quickly reset her broken nose.

"You won't win that easily Lexus." She taunted.

Lexa growled and closed the distance between them once again.

Callie continued to circle the two of them taking note of Lexa's continued scattered focus.

"What if this were real Lexa? What if Finn found Clarke alone and lacking in protection?"

Callie knew this was dangerous, she knew that bringing Clarke into this would agitate Lexa and bring her closer to the berserker, but that was the point of the training session.

"Would you allow him to defeat you and claim your mate for himself?"

Lexa roared in anger and blindly threw her right fist at Octavia's face.

Octavia easily blocked the blow with her left forearm and followed up with an uppercut to Lexa's chin that sent her flying across the clearing.

Lexa sprung back up and reset her dislocated jaw.

"His hands all over her. Scent marking her. Clarke unable to fight him off. Focus!"

Lexa could feel herself getting closer to losing control, she could picture the shifter boy manhandling her mate and as the images flashed through her mind's eye Heda finally perked up and offered her support.

_**You're better than this vassal.** _

She could feel renewed strength coursing through her sluggish veins and she internally berated herself for fighting like an inexperienced _Goufa._

She reassessed the situation and engaged Octavia once again getting as close as possible to exchange blows and keep Octavia within her reach.

She faked a hook to the left side of the younger vampire's head, pulling back as soon as Octavia motioned to pivot to the right at which point Lexa delivered a solid blow to her right flank resulting in the sound of at least two of Octavia's ribs breaking.

She immediately followed up by leaning into Octavia's body and wrapping her right arm around the back of Octavia's neck to forcefully bend the other vampires body forward in order to deliver repeated blows to her stomach with her knee.

After Lexa landed 3 direct blows causing further damage to already broken ribs Octavia brought her arms up to catch the fourth taking firm hold of Lexa's thigh placing her weight on her left foot she used her right to kick Lexa's free leg out from under her.

Lexa landed on her back with Octavia on top of her but still trapped in the headlock with her head lodged under Lexa's armpit.

"What now Lexa? You show further weakness. Is this what Clarke has in store for her? On her back beneath the wolf shifter?"

The roar that made its way out of Lexa's throat was not her own.

Heda surfaced, willing Lexa to move. She rolled on top of Octavia and rain down blow after blow to the younger vampire's face.

Octavia wrapped her thighs around Lexa's waist attempting to muscle her way back on top but Lexa widened her own thighs on the ground to increase her stability. When attempts to get back on top failed Octavia brought both of her arms up in front of her face to try to block the fists attempting to shatter her skull.

Lexa continued to throw punches down aiming for the other vampire's head putting all the weight from her upper body and all of her vampire strength behind each blow. The sound of Octavia's ulna and radius shattering beneath the blows reverberated around the clearing.

Lexa could feel both hers and Heda's control of her muscles unraveling slowly.

"Your human stands no chance against the shifter. He will have her any way he sees fit if you cannot find the strength of will to defend her!"

Callie kept a close watch on Lexa as the vampire began to spiral into a rage.

Octavia knew that she needed to get off of her back, she could feel her own berserker start to awaken and seek control. Her beast rattling at its cage for permission to take over. In a last ditch effort Octavia gave into her vampire beast and used its strength and her natural flexibility to her advantage.

She loosened her thighs around Lexa's waist and pulled her knees up to her chest. She then forced them into Lexa's chest which put much needed distances between them and wrapped her legs around the other vampire's neck.

Lexa roared in anger grabbing hold of Octavia's thighs and using her powerful legs to stand and kick Octavia in the back. The blow forced Octavia to relax her thighs as she was thrown over Lexa's head and into the air.

She righted herself midair managed to land on one knee slamming both of her hands into the ground and using them to slow her backward momentum.

She slowly stood and even with her rapid healing she could still feel the aches in her face, arms, and ribs from the blows she took. She knew this meant she had many broken bones but that wasn't concerned she would have to set all of that aside for the moment.

When she gazed across the clearing Lexa was shaking aggressively as she crouched down preparing to charge at her again.

Octavia steadied herself and set aside the slight pain from the last exchange in preparation for another assault.

"That all you got Lex? You've gotten weak in your old age. Maybe Callie is right, the wolf shifter might just have your mate."

It was then that Octavia witnessed the telltale signs of the Berserker surfacing. Vampires don't sweat. That is a trait that she's only witnessed in herself and Lexa when they are about to go Berserk. Lexa was covered in a noticeable layer of perspiration, the muscles on her arms and shoulders began to swell, her bared teeth started to elongate and upon closer inspection Octavia could make out the reddening of her iris.

"It's almost time Callie!"

Octavia didn't dare look away from Lexa as she addressed her coven leader.

Callie focused solely on Lexa and noticed the sudden change in her appearance. She noticed the seams of her shirt and jeans begin to tear as her muscles continued to swell.

Lexa emitted a constant rumbling growl and her predatory eyes remained fixed on Octavia.

Callie prepared to intervene if her transformation progressed any further.

"Lexa, are you still with us?"

The vampire huffed in response indicating that she remained in control of herself for the time being.

Even so, Callie readied herself to step in if and when the time came.

She kept her eyes trained on Lexa, "How are you holding up Octavia?"

"I'm pretty close myself, but not as close as she is."

Octavia could feel her own body responding to the damage Lexa recently inflicted. She knew that all it would take is to loosen her control a little and crack the door on the berserker in the same way Lexa clearly already had. But Callie would not be able to control them both if she opened the door too wide, one of them needed to stay in complete control.

Meanwhile Lexa was barely holding on.

Callie's words and Octavia's taunting had hit home and taken root.

Heda was barely acknowledging her warning to stay away from the berserker. Her beast crept closer and closer to the mental blockade that took Callie centuries to help Lexa put in place and as the seconds ticked by and the proposed threat to her mate lingered in her mind she felt herself slipping and giving over control to Heda completely.

She knew her rage filled blackened eyes were transitioning to the rimmed red indicative of the berserker, she could feel her clothes ripping at the seams as her muscles inflated and her limbs slowly extended.

She could feel her teeth growing in size making it difficult for her to keep her mouth closed and she could feel the layer of sweat that began to soak through her shirt.

She knew she was standing on the precipice of throwing the door open and allowing Heda to merge with the berserker.

The two entities acting as one would attempt to rip Octavia and Callie limb from limb for insinuating that they could not protect their mate. In a blind rage Heda would use the berserker power to hunt Finn down destroying everything and everyone in her path and Lexa could not allow that to happen.

Not yet.

Not at the risk of exposure and the danger it would pose to the humans who might cross paths with a berserker vampire absent baser control.

"Proceed Octavia, use your judgement. Push just enough to force her to make a choice."

Octavia adjusted her footing and squared her shoulders releasing a threatening roar of her own.

"What's the matter Lexa, not woman enough to defend your mate's honor? You'd let her fall prey to a lowly shifter?"

Lexa moved so quickly and even with her heightened sight Octavia barely saw her move.

In the blink of an eye Lexa had her larger hand wrapped around Octavia's throat. She picked the now much smaller vampire up off the ground by her neck and snarled in her face.

"Do. Not. Tempt. Me."

Octavia forced her beast to back down, trying desperately to maintain her own control.

She struggled against Lexa's grip, kicking her legs and making repeated impact with Lexa's midsection but the enraged vampire gave no sign of feeling a single one of the blows.

"C-can't handle… the… truth?"

Octavia's beast scratched at her insides begging her to fight back, to open the door and embrace her own berserker.

Just as she was about to comply Callie suddenly appeared behind Lexa and reached up to grab her by the scruff of her neck.

Callie released a terrifying soul shaking growl as her large fangs dropped, "That's enough Gona!"

Lexa hesitated, warring with Heda and her berserker, desperately trying to solidify what remained of her control over the two entities. Desperately trying to slam the door shut before Heda could pry it open and disappear into dark abyss that housed her berserker ability.

Callie realized that Lexa was barely holding on, they may have pushed her too far too quickly.

She kicked in the back of Lexa's knees forcing her to the ground while maintaining a firm grip on the back of her neck.

Lexa growled in defiance and maintained her hold on Octavia a threat that spelled doom for any vampire unlucky enough to find themselves in such a maneuver.

Lexa need only to increase the pressure and sink her claws into the only vulnerability that existed in vampire physiology to issue the true death.

Callie hardened her resolve and brought her fangs to Lexa's neck.

"I. Said. Enough."

The threat in her voice was bone chilling. Octavia went limp in Lexa's grasp as her sire established her dominance over them both.

Lexa huffed and growled in righteous indignation before finally loosening her dangerous grip on the smaller vampire.

As soon as Octavia was free she backed away in order to remove herself from the equation.

Callie maintained her grip on Lexa's neck with her fangs hovering dangerously over the vampires skins. She watched through her peripheral as the red rimming Lexa's blackened irides receded, as her limbs returned to their original length and as her bulging muscles deflated back into the lean tightly wound cords representative of Lexa's human trade as warrior to her people.

When Lexa finally released a submissive whimper Callie immediately retracted her fangs, released her grip on the back of her neck and wrapped the calmed vampire in her embrace.

She held her tightly as Lexa borrowed into her chest.

"You did well Gona. We still have work to do but you did well considering how new your bond to Clarke is."

Lexa nodded and lifted her head using her nose to nuzzle against the side of Callie's neck opposite Marcus' mating mark.

It was a gesture of affection within covens as tightly knit as their own and one that all the younglings took comfort in when necessary.

Callie returned the gesture before releasing Lexa who immediately stood and made her way over to Octavia.

The younger vampire stood on the outer edge of the clearing they'd made assessing the damage to her body from their sparring.

"You okay O?"

She placed both hands on the Octavia's shoulders, turned her this way and that, looking her over from head to toe and sniffing the air around her.

"Yeah, no worries. I've taken worse beatings. Nothing a good hunt won't fix. How are you feeling? We almost lost you for a second there."

Lexa looked her over one last time to ensure that she really didn't damage her too badly before responding.

"It was close… I forgot how hard it is to keep the door cracked while at the same time making sure Heda doesn't rip it open."

"Yeah… You probably shouldn't have stopped training all those decades ago, it's never too late to pick it back up though. I know Heda doesn't like it, but Callie's really been helping me learn to skirt the edge."

Lexa glanced over at Callie who had already started to cover and disburse the evidence of their sparring session.

"Yeah… Heda will just have to deal with it. She'll come around though, Clarke is just as important to her as she is to me."

After a brief pause Heda reached out to Lexa's consciousness briefly.

_**Yes, vassal. She is. I will do this for her, not for The She-Devil.** _

Lexa smirked slightly at Heda's refusal to refer to Callie as anything but ' _The She-Devil_ '. Never having been able to stomach Callie's natural ability to calm Lexa and force her into submission.

Callie made her way over to the two vampires and smile at them both.

She gently took hold of Octavia's chin and looked over the damage Lexa inflicted on her nose, lips, and left eye socket. She then ran her hand over the vampire's ribs and forearms taking note of the slowly healing breaks and fractures using her ability. When she was sure that nothing needed to be reset she moved a few strands of hair out of Octavia's face and placed a soft kiss on the side of her head.

"Hunt before returning to the house, your injuries should heal completely afterward. Good job today, in a few more years you probably won't even need to keep up our control trainings."

Octavia gave her a proud half smile before dashing off deeper into the woods to find some big game to hunt.

Callie then turned her attention to Lexa.

A lazy smirk spread across Lexa's lips, "Heda has informed me that we will continue the trainings, but she is doing it for Clarke, not for the _She-Devil._ "

A low chuckle rumbled in Callie's chest as she flung her right arm over Lexa's shoulder and the two of them began to make their way back to the house.

"I expected nothing less from the great _Commander_."

As they got closer to the outskirts of their property Callie and Lexa maintained casual conversation about Clarke, but the older vampire's senses remained focused on their surroundings and the presence she felt following them.

She was well aware that whatever or whoever was currently shadowing them had appeared halfway through the sparring session and remained just out of reach of her nose and ears since arrival.

She might not be able to see, smell or hear it, but she could feel whatever it was lurking on the edge of even her seasoned senses was old.

Very old and very powerful.

"Gona, do you feel it?"

Lexa continued moving, not breaking stride, "Yes."

"Is this the thing you made mention of?"

Lexa kept her gaze straight ahead and nodded, knowing that Callie could have picked up the movement.

"I am unsure of its intent, but you must promise me that you will not seek it out on your own. Whatever it is… it's very powerful, this is an ancient presence. I've only ever been in the presence of one other that exuded this kind of power."

Heda perked up at this new piece of information and Lexa made an attempt to extend her senses even further.

Callie noticed her change in focus and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"He, she or it is clearly allowing us to feel its presence and is capable to hiding all other indications of its identity. It is a waste of effort and it could be taken as a threat if you continue to try and scent it out."

Lexa's eyes widen and she shifted her gaze to look over and fully take in Callie's face.

The normally calm and collected vampire's features sent a slight shiver down her spine.

Callie was visibly worried and genuinely threatened.

She pulled Lexa closer to her body as she continued to scan the way before them, not daring to look behind her. A maneuver that would surely reveal her worry and fear to whatever it was that was following them.

Just as this realization surfaced for Lexa they both felt the oppressive presence increase exponentially.

Whatever had been following now stood directly behind them, clearly it had been listening to every word spoken between the two vampires and Lexa could feel its warm breath on the back of her neck.

A protective growl rattled and built in Callie's chest as she pushed Lexa ahead of her. The older vampire spun around in crouch with her fangs bared intent on facing down the threat she anticipated being in front of her.

But just as quickly as Callie reacted the presence disappeared completely, as if it hadn't been there in the first place.

She straightened and immediately scanned their surroundings searching for the oppressive feeling that she'd now committed to memory but she came up with nothing.

"What the hell was that?!"

Lexa joined Callie with trying to pick up the feeling again but she too came up empty handed.

Callie rounded on Lexa and placed both of her hands firmly on the younger vampire's shoulders.

"Lexa, I need you to swear to me that you will not go seeking out whatever is in these woods on your own and that you will not bring Clarke into the woods unless I or Marcus are with you."

Lexa was shocked by the steel in Callie's voice and the wild aggression burning in her blackened eyes.

"Callie, wha-"

"Swear it!"

Lexa immediately started to nod, "Yes, I swear it. I will not go seeking it out and I will keep Clarke out of the woods. What upsets you _Nomon_?"

Callie visibly relaxed at Lexa's declaration and her eyes started to fade back to amber.

She released Lexa from her hold and directed her to continue walking towards the house.

"Whatever that was it was focused on you. It's taken an interest in you. I do not know if it harbors malicious intent, but when something that old takes notice of one as young as you are it's never something to brush off as a passing interest… It sniffed you Lexa, I could sense it committing your scent to memory and it paid me no mind."

Lexa was barely wrapping her mind around what the great concern was.

"What does that mean?"

As they stepped into the backyard Callie stopped and faced the younger vampire. She did not turn Lexa herself, but she might as well have, Lexa was the first youngling she'd nurtured into maturity. When she and Marcus took both Lexa and Lincoln in as their own she'd taken Lexa under her wing and Marcus had done the same with Lincoln. As such, the young vampire meant a great deal to her and she would protect her to the true death.

"I am much older than you are, my scent much more potent especially to one as old as that thing is. That being said, it's instinct should have told it that I posed the greater threat, yet it all but ignored me. It was following you Lexa, I just so happened to have been by your side."

Callie frowned as she gazed over to the house where they both could see Clarke and Raven playfully pushing each other as they tried to mess with the others game controller.

"It got close enough to scent you without revealing itself. We were able to feel it only because it allowed us to feel its presence. That is unheard of, I know of no being capable of masking itself in this way. Be vigilant, and from now on no one hunts alone."

She glanced back at the house and smiled as she watched Raven allow Clarke to put her in a headlock.

When she turned to look back at Lexa she was more relaxed, which helped Lexa to relax a bit as well.

She smiled reassuringly and placed a kiss on Lexa's cheek.

"Go get cleaned up and go to your mate. I'm going to track Octavia and accompany her in her hunt then back to the house just in case."

Lexa nodded and watched as Callie disappeared back into the woods.

It was then that Clarke looked up from Raven who was rolling around on the floor pretending to be mortally wounded.

When they made eye contact Clarke's eyes lit up and Lexa's spirits immediately brightened.

Lexa flashed over to the glass doors and as soon as she slid them open Clarke was in her arms.

She buried her nose in her mate's hair and took in long pulls of her scent.

"Missed me that much?" she chuckled.

Clarke pulled her head back and placed a firm kiss on Lexa's lips.

"Yeah, maybe a little." She answered cheekily.

Lexa mock pouted.

"Okay, fine. Maybe a lot."

Lexa brightened once again and walked over to Raven shoving her out of the way unnecessarily so that she could gently lower her mate back to the floor next to the other vampire.

"I'm going to grab a quick shower then join you two for a few rounds. I'll show you how I wipe the floor with Raven every time I pick up a controller no matter what the game is."

Raven huffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever Lexus. You still can't drive for shit."

Clarke grinned at the two vampire's before Lexa winked at her and flashed out of the room.

"Alright Griffin, let's get another round in before your mate comes back to show off."

* * *

**Chapter 16 everyone. Hope you all enjoyed it and are starting to figure out just what's been lurking in the woods.**

**As I mentioned above the next chapter has already been written and is ready to be edited by my awesome Beta Lupa1208. I'm insanely excited to get it out to you guys as well as the one after that that I am currently working on. In those chapter's you can expect to see a rehashing and conclusion to the Clarke/Abby/Jake debacle surrounding Clarke's coming out as well as some big revelations for Clarke and Lexa.**

**I'm not gonna say anymore, just keep an eye out for updates which will hopefully be posted with a bit more frequency compared to habits of late, and I truly do hope that my motivation doesn't abandon me any time soon. But while I have it here and will make every effort to work as far ahead as possible so that I don't leave you guys hanging all the time waiting for updates that are definitely too far between.**

**Thank you to those that have been following, favorite-ing, bookmarking, subscribing, leaving comments and reviews and being all around awesome. I really appreciate all of it and we are always happy to read that you guys are enjoying the story so far.**

**Leave us a comment/review and let us know what you think of this current update.**

**For those of you that have Tumblr, feel free to look me up and ask questions about the story if you need clarification about anything, or if you want to yell at me when I don't update fast enough, you can find me over there as OrangeSmurfette.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**

**As promised here is Chapter 17, I hope you all enjoy it. :) Lots Clarke in this one.**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**(Clarke Centric – 3** **rd** **person POV)**

Clarke and Lexa played Call of Duty with Raven for hours. After Lexa finished embarrassing Raven repeatedly she demanded that the controller be handed back to the human so she could earn back an ounce of her self-respect.

To her further disappointment Lexa was an excellent coach and she taught Clarke how to exploit every single one of Raven's weaknesses. She was able to kick Raven's ass in 6 of the 10 maps they played which was when Callie announced that it was time for Clarke to eat and try to get some sleep before school the following morning.

As Clarke ate she listened in on Raven's conversation with Lexa and Callie. She was sharing the details of her first encounter with her mate Wick and as far as Clarke could tell the encounter had gone well. Raven left shortly after that to meet up with him since his turn on patrol was about to end.

Clarke and Lexa retired to their bedroom shortly after she finished eating and as they got comfortable in bed Clarke mentioned that she had another strange dream when she woke up to find Lexa gone from their bedroom.

"Do you want to talk about your dream _hodnes_?" Lexa rubbed soothing circles into her mate's back while Clarke nuzzled her neck inhaling her lavender and honey scent.

"No, it was just a dream. I'm just glad you're here." She hugged the vampire even tighter causing her to stiffen slightly.

"Clarke… I don't need to breathe but you're holding on to me very tighty. You've gotten a lot stronger it seems."

Clarke loosened her hold not wanting her mate to feel uncomfortable but needing her to stay as close as possible.

"Yeah, I feel different… I feel more… If that makes sense."

_**My sense of sight, hearing, and smell has increased again as well.** _

Lexa nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It's the blood replenishment tablets that you've been taking after I feed on you. Aside from cloning your blood cells to replace the blood I took it also helps your body mimic vampiric characteristics while still keeping you human." She explained.

"Oh, that makes sense then. I thought something strange was happening with me, I was a little worried."

"Clarke, these effects do not usually present themselves in humans this early and as strongly as they have been with you. You've only taken the tablet twice so far and from what Callie has told me it usually takes months of use before a human starts to show signs of heightened senses, strength, and speed."

_**Great… that was short lived. So I guess there is something off about me.** _

Clarke released Lexa and averted her eyes.

The vampire somehow sensed her mate's discomfort and placed a finger under Clarke's chin to regain eye contact.

"There is nothing wrong with you Clarke, I've told you this before. You might be different from the average human but different does not always mean bad. You seem to be better than the average human and we will figure this out together. I promise." She gave Clarke a reassuring smile to further assist in calming her doubts.

"I know, I'm sorry. I try not to be insecure, but it's a work in progress."

Lexa nodded in understand and brought Clarke's head back down to rest in the crook of her neck.

The next morning, Clarke awoke and got ready for another day of school.

Callie prepared her a huge breakfast that at first she doubted she would be able to finish but she managed it nonetheless. Surprisingly she didn't feel overly stuffed, just very satisfied and energized.

As she drove to school with Lexa in the passenger seat of her mustang she remembered that it was Friday and she was beyond happy that the week was about to be over because Sterling, Harper and Fox were starting to really wear on her nerves. If it wasn't for Lincoln being in her history class the prior day she would have probably torn Sterling's throat out.

The persistent boy had stopped Clarke outside the class again and preceded to address her as 'Dyke', asking her if she'd changed her mind or was her lesbo girlfriend suffocating her with her snatch every night making it hard for her to think straight.

Clarke was in mid lunge when she felt an overwhelming dose of calm wrap around her, causing her body to sag into Lincoln's waiting arms as he held his breath and walked her into the class placing her in her seat before taking his own.

After pulling her car in between Bellamy's and Raven's and getting out the they could hear Sterling and his two female lap dogs snickering about something on the other side of the parking lot. Clarke decided not to even bother trying to figure their shit out and just grabbed Lexa's hand so they could make their way into the school.

_**I so don't have the patience for them today…** _

Clarke's first 3 classes went by without issue and while using her heightened sense of hearing she was able to pretty much hear and single out every conversation going on around the small school.

It seemed that the only people that still had a problem with Clarke's relationship with Lexa, or at least felt it was still gossip worthy were Sterling, Harper and Fox.

The three of them seemed to be planning something, but Clarke didn't really care what it was so she moved on.

When lunch rolled around, Maya, Monroe and Atom sat with Clarke and the vampires as usual and spent the majority of the lunch hour talking to Raven and Lincoln about sports and videogames which seemed to have become their regular routine.

Lexa and Octavia started up a conversation about alterations Octavia was planning to make to Lincoln's Ducati so Clarke left them to it and used the time to just look around the cafeteria. When her eyes landed on her former lunch table that only Sterling, Harper and Fox now occupied she noticed that they were looking right back at her with a satisfied look on their faces.

_**What. The. Fuck?** _

Something definitely wasn't sitting right with her and she continued to observe the interaction between her three former 'friends'. They all got up from the table a short while later with Fox and Harper dutifully following Sterling out into the hallway.

_**They're probably going to find a dark corner to suck Sterling's small dick.** _

Figuring there wasn't much else she could do when it came to the three of them Clarke shrugged it off and stood up to throw her leftovers out as the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period.

When Lexa and Clarke parted ways in the hallway to go to their separate classes they shared a deep heated kiss. A few boys made whooping noises in their direction but the couple ignored them and went on their way.

Later that day Clarke waited outside the gym doors for Lexa so they could go in together when Harper and Fox walked by her with the same smile stretched across their face that they were sporting in the cafeteria during lunch.

Before she could confront either of them Lexa slinked up behind her and slipped her arms around her Clarke's waist pulling her into her cooler body.

"Hello _hodnes_ , are the vultures getting to you?"

Clarke laughed lightly as she turned around in her mate's arms to pull her into a short kiss.

"It's a good thing you're here to save me from being eaten."

Lexa gave her a toothy smile before pulling the human into the gym behind her.

When they entered they both picked up on the conversation going on between Harper, Fox and Coach Clapp.

"We just don't think that the school's resident dykes should be allowed to change in the same room as the rest of us." Harper spat out.

"Yeah what she said." Fox pipped up.

_**Bigoted idiots...** _

Clarke used her thumb to rub soothing circles into Lexa's hand that was still clasped in her own.

Coach Clapp looked like he was about to bust a blood vessel.

"We do not tolerate discrimination in this school and quite frankly I don't appreciate you making unfounded accusations against your fellow classmates. Have they ever looked at either of you while you were changing?"

He paused to wait for an answer and when neither one of the girls responded he went on.

"Does anyone else in the class feel uncomfortable with them being in the changing room?" he asked loudly, his patience for the whole situation seemed to be running out.

No one said a word, some of the girls even seemed completely disinterested.

Harper and Fox both looked at him dumbfounded and silent. It was obvious that they were expecting him to agree with them.

"Well since it's obvious you have no evidence of them spying on you while you undress and no one else has expressed their discomfort then I would suggest you both make your way over to the locker room fast so you don't get marked late for class."

Harper was livid but and almost seemed like she was getting ready to argue with him.

"This discussion is over and you both have a week's detention with me starting Monday after school for the derogatory term you used in reference to Miss Griffin and Miss Woods."

Fox squeaked at his tone and the two of them shuffled over to change room door sneering at Clarke and Lexa all the way over there.

The couple turned to look over at Coach Clapp who gave them a small smile. They smiled in return before turning to head into the locker room to get ready for class.

When everyone was changed and in the gym waiting to find out what they were going to play Coach Clapp blew his whistle and asked everyone to stand in front of him.

He explained that it had been brought to his attention that two students were having a problem with Clarke and Lexa changing in the same room as them. Now that the entire class was assembled in the gym he once again asked if there was anyone else that was uncomfortable with the situation.

No one even batted an eyelash, a few people mumbled about it not even being a big deal and they just wanted to get this day over with already.

Clarke held back a laugh as Harper fumed at the apparent betrayal she was witnessing from her other classmates.

No one spoke up so Coach Clapp clapped his hands and instructed everyone to pull out the basketballs and do shooting drills on the various nets around the room.

Harper and Fox continued to give Clarke and Lexa dirty looks throughout the remainder of the class but they ignored them which seemed to get under their skin even more.

Clarke soon realized that in the grand scheme of things it was actually really entertaining to watch.

As the couple made their way out of the school and into the parking lot Clarke could hear a lot of people talking about how stupid Sterling, Harper and Fox were for messing with the two of them.

A few people were whispering about how Clarke was going to for sure blow a gasket.

She couldn't figure out what they were referring to but as she and Lexa got closer to her Mustang she saw a few people crowding around it.

Maya, Monroe and Atom broke from the pack and ran over to Clarke with Maya leading the charge.

"I'm so sorry Clarke. They probably did it during lunch it's so childish. No one would blame you if you kicked their asses. A few of us would probably volunteer to help."

Clarke looked confused and Lexa looked nervous as she peered over the gathered students head to get a better look at Clarke's mustang.

The blonde tried to maneuver her way around her friend but the girl continued to block her progress.

"What are you talking about Maya?"

"Your car Clarke, they-"

Lexa cut her off by stepping directly in front her mate before she could get a good look at the car.

She cupped Clarke's face between her hands coaxing her into making eye contact.

"Clarke, I need you to stay calm okay. It is not that big of a deal and it is easily fixed."

_**What the fuck? What needed to be fixed? Those fuckers better not have touched my baby!** _

Clarke pulled Lexa's hands away from her face and stepped around her to make her way through the crowd to the car.

As she approached everyone took hurried steps back as they all eagerly watched the situation unfold.

When she got closer she could clearly make out the huge word 'DYKE' scratched angrily into the paint all along the driver side door of her beautiful car.

Clarke stopped dead in her tracks.

It was like the whole world went silent, all she saw was the word keyed into her car's paint job. A paint job that her mother forced her to get a summer job to pay for, because she thought it would be more satisfying for the blonde if she paid for the work on the vehicle herself.

Clarke's blood began to boil.

_**Seriously?** _

She could hear Lexa trying to get her attention and calm her down but she sounded so far away.

Just as Clarke felt like she was about to snap she heard a terrifying growl directly beside her.

She tore her eyes away from the ruined car door and looked over to her left where she found Octavia gazing at the offensive word disfiguring the car that she'd grown to love as if it were her own.

The vampire's eyes had already faded to black and her fists were balled up.

"You want me to kill them for you?" Octavia asked Clarke in a deadly tone not taking her eyes off of the word.

The blonde was almost tempted to say yes, but deep down she knew better because Octavia probably would do it.

Clarke could feel Lincoln approaching and trying to use his ability to calm her down but she pushed the feeling away and wheeled around to search the parking lot for Sterling and his bitches. She finally spotted them leaning up against Sterling's car laughing and praising each other on a job well done.

She started to march over there but her progress was halted by her mate.

Lexa was just about to say something when she caught sight of her mate's eyes.

Clarke's normally bright blue eyes briefly flashed to a pure gold before reverting back to a deep blue giving the vampire pause. She continued gazing into her mate's eyes waiting to see if it would happen again and when it did she took hold of Clarke's shoulders and looked over to her brother in alarm.

"Lincoln! Grab Octavia and take her home, now!"

Lincoln immediately wrapped his arms around his mate and hauled her off to Raven's waiting Jeep as her growl grew in volume.

Lexa quickly wrapped her arms around Clarke whispering for her to calm down as moved over to the Mustang to push the enraged human into the passenger seat locking the door and running around the front of the vehicle as quickly as she could without risking exposure to the human's.

She hopped into the driver's seat started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.

Clarke spent the car ride home attempting to pull in large calming breaths.

She could hear Lexa explaining that had they stayed in that parking lot any longer Octavia would have lost control and there would have been bloodshed.

When Clarke was finally calm she hung her head in shame as she realized that she'd let her temper get the best of her and if she'd have been able to make it across the parking lot to Sterling, Harper and Fox the altercation could have very likely become physical which in turn might have lead to Lexa, Octavia and the rest of their siblings exposing themselves in front of the whole school in her defense. Because she would have decked Sterling in his face, there would have been blood, and there was no telling how an enraged Octavia would have reacted to human blood spilling in such an open environment laced with tension.

Lexa noticed the change in Clarke's demeanor and she reached for her hand to interlace their fingers.

"Nothing happened Clarke. It's okay, I know you're upset about your car but Octavia can fix your paint job without any problems."

Clarke nodded but kept her eyes averted from her mate's.

"I know that, but that wasn't really what I was upset over. It's just… how much longer are we going to have to put up with people's narrow minded views. I mean it's bad enough that I have my parents giving me shit for something I can't help, but to also have bottom feeders like Sterling and his bitches constantly starting shit with me too, it's just enough is enough." she explained while barely controlling the volume of her voice.

"I understand _hodnes_ , things will get better though, I promise you."

Lexa smiled reassuringly at her mate hoping that her word, however uncertain, would sink in.

Clarke finally met her gaze, she wanted to believe Lexa but with the way things had been going since she came out she didn't see how that could be even remotely possible.

"Really? Even with my Parents? How could you possibly know that Lexa?"

Lexa brought Clarke's hand up to her lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles before replying.

"Yes Clark, even with them. I know this because Callie has offered to accompany us to your house this weekend to sit down and talk to your parents with us. I'm sure Marcus will be coming as well and the two of them, especially Marcus, have a way with things like this. They will make them see reason, trust me."

Clarke's mood instantly lifted when she said this and she leaned over and kissed her mate on the cheek.

"Thank you Lexa."

"Of course _Hodnes_ , I'll always be here for you. The coven will always be here for you. No matter what."

Lexa briefly took her eyes off of the road to look over at her mate, giving her a confident smile to drive the message home.

Clarke returned the smile before directing her attention out the passenger window as they made their way back to the house.

_**Now I just need to get through this talk with my Parents and things can start getting better… I just know that even bigger problems are around the corner for us.** _

When they pulled up to the house Lincoln dragged Octavia off into the woods to go hunting since she was still fuming over the whole parking lot incident. Clarke watched them go as Octavia continued to growl as if it was her car that got fucked with.

Obviously reading her thoughts Bellamy smiled weakly over at the blonde.

"It wasn't just about your car Clarke. Octavia is very protective of her family, and you've become family to her. While she was standing in the parking lot the only thought running through her head was 'How dare they touch her car and I'll fucking teach them not to mess with her'." He glanced over to the woods where Lincoln and Octavia disappeared, "Lincoln said that along with the rage rolling off of her the protective instinct that she was emitting was also very overwhelming."

_**Wow I didn't think she cared about me that much…** _

"Believe it."

With that Bellamy and Raven flashed over to the wood in the same direction that their siblings had entered.

Lexa and Clarke entered the house to find Callie in the kitchen preparing a snack.

_**This Lady is like super mom.** _

As Clarke registered the thought though she felt a pang of remorse at not having her own mother there to do the same.

Lexa somehow sensed her brief bout of nostalgia and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before walking her over to the stool in the kitchen so she could take a seat.

"What happened?" Callie asked as she glanced between the two of them.

Lexa huffed and took a seat next to Clarke before turning to address her mother.

"It was going great until Sterling, Harper and Fox decided to act their shoe sizes instead of their age. Sometimes I just don't understand human teenagers in this day and age, they are all so incredibly immature."

Clarke scrunched up her nose and piped up.

"Hey! I resent that, I mean hello; your resident human teenager over here." she said pouting while pointing to her own chest.

"Oh please Clarke, you know exactly what I meant and you know I wasn't referring to you. You are anything but immature…" Lexa said somewhat seductively as her eyes raked up and down her mate's' body.

Clarke felt a phantom throb in my center at Lexa's declaration.

The vampire's deep green eyes darkened slightly as her nostrils flared and she leaned in towards her mate.

When her lips made contact Clarke groaned and opened her mouth to Lexa's insistent tongue.

Lexa slipped her cool wet tongue into Clarke's mouth and they began a fight for dominance.

_**Oh God…** _

Clarke was getting ready to mount the vampire right there in the kitchen when she remembered who was currently in the kitchen with them.

She promptly pushed on Lexa's shoulders to end the kiss.

At first Lexa was reluctant to break the kiss but when Clarke started to speak around her lips she finally started to pull back.

"Lexa… Callie's right there."

Clarke's arousal was climbing at a rapid rate, but she wasn't too keen on being jumped by her mate in the presence of another vampire.

Clarke slowly pulled away and when she opened her eyes to look at Lexa hers were still closed.

The vampire slowly opened her eyes and Clarke noticed that they were almost completely black this forced a moan to escape her throat, which she instantly chastised herself for.

Callie cleared her throat on the other side of the island in the kitchen gaining the pairs attention.

"Sorry Cal—" when Clarke looked over at the older vampire she had a smirk on her face but she also noticed that her amber eyes had darkened a good few shades and she could have sworn she could scent a little bit of arousal coming off of the coven leader.

_**Awkward much?** _

Clarke blushed but choose not to comment or focus on the new scent in the room.

Lexa however took notice and moved closer to her mate wrapping her arm around Clarke's waist in a very possessive manner while baring her teeth slightly in her mother's direction.

She wasn't growling at Callie or showing any other signs of aggression, but Clarke understood the message her mate was conveying.

Mine.

Callie didn't react to the change in Lexa's demeanor. She instead went back to making the snack she was preparing before they entered the kitchen.

"So what exactly did this boy and his friends do to upset all of you this time Gona?"

Not missing a beat Lexa responded, "They carved the word 'Dyke' into the side of Clarke's car, and we thankfully avoided a minor blood bath in the school parking lot because of it."

Clarke looked over to Callie as the vampire's her eyes flashed dangerously before returning to its original color.

"Sometimes people can be very closed minded. It is still no excuse for that kind of behavior. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this Clarke."

Clarke nodded in thanks as Callie moved the dish she was preparing in front of her.

Lexa then placed a kiss on the side of her mate's head before standing from the kitchen counter.

"Octavia will need paint to repair the damage so I'm going to head to pick some up. I'll be back as soon as I can _hodnes_. I love you."

Clarke smiled up at her, "Love you too."

Lexa flashed out of the house and Clarke could hear Lexa's car start up and pull out of the garage.

Callie smiled at the interaction and returned her attention to Clarke as the sound of Lexa's car faded away.

"Eat up dear _your_ Lexa will be back in no time at all."

"Thanks Callie."

As she was finishing up the bowl of fruit Lincoln and Octavia returned from their hunt. Lincoln ruffled her hair as he passed by to go into the living room and turn on the Xbox and Octavia offered her a small smile before moving over to place a kiss on Callie's cheek and making her way into the garage.

When Callie took the empty bowl away Clarke thanked her again for the snack and decided to go hang out in the garage with Octavia until Lexa got back.

When she entered the garage Octavia's peppermint and pear scent washed over her.

"Hey Clarke."

She said this without looking up from her inspection of the car door, her voice was calm but Clarke could tell that she was still highly irritated with the damage that was senselessly done to the car that they both love.

There really wasn't anywhere for Clarke to sit in the garage she normally just hovered around as she watched Octavia work.

Today Octavia turned to her Ferrari parked beside the mustang and opened up the driver's side door motioning for the blonde to take a seat.

Clarke slid into the driver's seat and Octavia closed the door once she was situated.

The Vampire then leaned back against the side of the front hood facing Clarke's car folding her arms over her chest and crossing her legs at the ankles.

She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Are you okay Clarke?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Octavia… Thanks for standing up for me back there. I didn't think you cared that much." Clarke looked down at her hands that she had clasped in her lap.

Octavia chuckled and Clarke could feel the vampire's gaze on her so I looked up.

"Of course I care about you Clarke. You're Lexa's mate and that makes you family. I know I come off as cold to some people but I really am very fond of you and I've grown very protective of you over the last couple of days that you've been here."

Clarke smiled genuinely at that.

Although Octavia and her had spent a good amount of time together over the last couple of days she was still a little intimidating to her.

"Thanks O."

"You're welcome Clarke. Lexa would never let anything happen to you, and I would never let anything happen to either one of you. Ever."

Somehow Clarke knew that they were no longer just talking about the trivial school bullying issues. She was letting the blonde know that she could always count on her. A part of Clarke felt like Octavia knew that things were going to get a lot more difficult for the mated pair and this family before they could all be happy and Clarke was appreciative for the reassurance that the vampire offered her.

After a brief silence the two fell into idle conversation as Octavia explained what she would have to do to repair the door and prep it to be repainted when Lexa returned.

After being out in the garage with Octavia for about an hour Raven came in and lifted the blonde off her feet carefully throwing Clarke over her shoulder and informing Octavia that it was her turn so she was stealing the human away to play video games.

"So what'd you wanna play Gryffindor?"

The new nickname caused Clarke to let out a deep chuckle, "Gryffindor huh? So what does that make you? Ravenclaw?"

Raven grinned, "Well duh, that one's kind of obvious."

Clarke laughed again and nodded, "Where does everyone else fit into this little AU of yours?"

Raven thought about it for a second before answering.

"Octavia and Lincoln are definitely team Gryffindor and believe it or not I'm pretty sure the sorting hat would place Lexa and Bell in Slytherin."

Raven seemed really pleased with her assessment and Clarke as she started to see how all of it could very likely be the case.

"So, no Hufflepuffs in the house then?"

Raven scoffed, "Of course there are, Callie and Marcus. They'd definitely fit in with the creampuffs, bunch a softies."

From somewhere in the house Clarke heard Callie call out, "Would you like to test your creampuff theory Raven?"

Raven's eyes widened in mock horror, "No ma'am!"

"I thought not. Carry on."

Clarke grinned as Raven rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. How about I go crab my spare Xbox and play some Mass Effect 3 live?"

Clarke instantly agreed. Over the last week she'd fallen in love with the game after spending many hours watching Raven play through the trilogy for her.

The vampire flashed upstairs and returned seconds later with another console and two headsets.

She then flashed back upstairs and retrieved the 40 inch flat screen that was in her bedroom and set it down on the stand below the other 62 inch flat screen that was mounted on the wall.

After only 5 minutes Raven had everything hooked up and ready to go.

She passed Clarke her controller and headset and took a seat beside her on the sofa facing the two screens.

"Okay, you'll be playing on the 62inch and I'll play on the 40. You ready?"

Clarke grinned at her as she adjusted her headset, "Born ready Raven."

They chose a silver level game and waited for 2 other players to join their party.

After playing for about an hour and completing 3 different maps Raven was getting irritated with one of the n00bs on their team.

Clarke was trying not to laugh as the vampire berated the guy over headset.

"DUDE! I keep telling you to stick with the group! You keep running off and dying then we have to come find you to revive your punk ass! If you don't want to play as a team then quit you jackass! You're screwing up the game for the rest of us!"

The guy replied with a simple 'whatever' and that's when Raven lost her patience and broke the controller in two.

Clarke couldn't hold it in any longer. She fell over and dissolved into a fit of laughter.

When she finally calmed down and Raven sat sulking in the corner of the couch she could hear Lexa's engine approaching.

"Okay Raven, I think that's enough for right now, Lexa's back."

"Ahhhh come on! Lexa always hogs you, I want my time!"

"We'll play again another time, promise."

Clarke then leapt over the back of the couch surprising the vampire with her new found agility and ran through the kitchen to the garage.

As she made it into the garage she could see Lexa handing over the car paint to Octavia.

She crossed the distance to her mate while the vampire's back was still turned and jumped onto her back.

The speed and force in which Clarke collided with her caused Lexa to stumble forward a little but not by much.

"Missed you." Clarke whispered into her mate's' ear with her arms and legs securely wrapped around her neck and midsection from behind.

Lexa and Octavia both chuckled while the older vampire moved both her hands to the underside of Clarke's thighs so she could move her mate around to her front.

When she had the blonde's legs securely wrapped around her midsection again and they were pressed firmly together she nuzzled into Clarke's neck and inhaled deeply.

"Missed you too hodnes. You're getting faster and stronger every day."

Clarke smiled at her and moved in to press her lips against her mates.

The kiss intensified almost immediately as Lexa opened her mouth.

As their kiss deepened Clarke realized she I could no longer scent Octavia in the garage. With this in mind she started to slowly grind her center into Lexa's muscled stomach as the vampire moved her hands from the underside of Clarke's thighs to her ass in order to assist her mate in finding more friction.

_**God, I want her right now.** _

They continued to make-out with Clarke's grinding increasing by the minute while she let out little whimpers prompting Lexa to groan in response.

Clarke was getting wet and the need to have Lexa take her up against one of the cars right there in the garage became overwhelming.

"Babe… damn. We have to stop…" Lexa didn't sound like she was even trying to convince herself.

" _Fuck_ … but I _want_ you, like right now…" Clarke panted out desperately while moving her right hand from the back of Lexa's neck down to her left breast and squeezing hard.

Lexa's mouth fell open as she started to pant right along with her mate, "Oh shit… Clarke, you have to eat. Callie is done with your dinner."

Clarke reluctantly ceased her movement and pouted, "Buzzkill, I was really getting into it."

After collecting herself Lexa chuckled and lowered the blonde to the ground. She placed a chaste kiss on her lips before leading her out of the garage.

When they made it into the kitchen Callie was just finishing up with getting Clarke's plate ready. She didn't mention what just went on in the garage but the smirk on her face made it clear that she was more than aware of how close they got to giving everyone in the house a very explicit and more than likely loud show.

Marcus, and Bellamy returned to the house while Clarke once she finished her meal Lincoln suggested that they all watch a movie in the living room together.

Clarke fell asleep that night halfway through the movie curled up in Lexa's lap with her head tucked into her mate's neck.

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**person POV (Finn Centric)** _

_****Finn's thoughts in Bolded Italics, other Pack thoughts will be clearly identified**** _

Finn hopped down from the bolder he'd been occupying as he and Miller prepared himself for what they were about to do.

"You ready to do this? We won't get a second chance so we can't afford any screw ups."

Miller gave him a wide grin before replying, "You know I am. I bet Wells hasn't even realized you're taking steps to take your rightful place yet."

Finn sneered as went over the plan in his head again.

_**It's time to take my birthright.** _

"I'll be here and ready when you get back, make sure no one else comes. Just him."

Miller nodded before taking off towards the bar.

Finn and Miller picked a spot deep in the woods away from the boardwalk to confront Wells so that the Beta could challenge him for his position as Alpha of the pack.

Now all he needed to do was wait for Miller to bring Wells to him under the guise that they'd picked up the scent of some filthy bloodsuckers in their territory.

The two shifters hadn't phased into their wolf forms for the last 3 days.

It took the beta that long to figure out how to break his bond with the pack and then subsequently break the bond that Miller had to Wells without the Alpha noticing it.

Once Finn gets him out of the way and takes his place as Alpha the rest of the pack will have no other choice than to fall under his command and he would finally be able to give the order to take the vampire coven out and claim Clarke as his.

_**Those fuckers don't know who they're dealing with.** _

Just as this thought crosses his mind he could hear the sound of heavy footsteps running in his direction and smell that Miller and Wells were coming his way.

_**Perfect. Looks like Miller was able to convince that idiot to show up in his human too.** _

A wide grin spread across Finn's face as he basked in his rapidly approaching victory. If Miller had shifted with Wells the whole plan would have gone out the window.

Wells would have realized that he could not hear either of them in his thoughts and he would have immediately called out for the rest of the pack.

Wells emerged out of the foliage first and scanned the area before focusing on his Beta.

"Finn what's the meaning of this? Miller said that you guys picked up the scent of a leech on our land, but I haven't picked anything up yet."

Finn smirked at him and took a menacing step forward while Miller walked over to stand at the edge of the clearing with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

"Finn as your Alpha I demand that you-"

The Beta cut him off when a laugh.

"You're not my Alpha anymore. You're weak. You couldn't even hold your own against one filthy bloodsucker! You're not fit to run this pack."

Finn watched as Wells' balled up his fist and his body started to shake.

_**Like he can actually take me in a fight. Laughable.** _

"Miller, shift now!"

Wells tried to use the Alpha tone on Finn's newly appointed Beta but when the boy made no move to phase his eyes widened.

"You fucking idiot; didn't you find it strange that Miller and I haven't phased in 3 days? That's how long it took me to break our bond to you, we are no longer a part of _your_ pack and I hereby challenge you for the right to Alpha as it is my rightful place as descendant of the previous Alpha."

As Alpha Wells could not refuse a challenge for his position and he knew this but as Finn watched him he hung his head in what looked like disappointment before looking up at me.

"It looks like that damn leech wasn't lying after all… I had such hopes for you Finn, but deep down I always knew that your mind was far too twisted to ever be worthy of leading this pack and protecting our territory. I should have seen this coming, especially after I watched you pursue Clarke even when you knew she wasn't your imprint."

"Shut the hell up you useless piece of shit! Clarke will be mine, as soon as I get rid of that dyke leech and her filthy bloodsucking family. The bitch will learn her place when they are all out of the way."

_**It's time to end this, to end him and claim my pack and what's rightfully mine.** _

"You're insane…"

As soon as the words left his mouth Finn phased into his wolf form letting out a deep growl.

Wells followed suit instantly phased into his own wolf form a massive black wolf that was slightly bigger than Finn's own wolf form.

Wells paused and it looked like he was trying to contact the rest of the pack using his bond to their minds so Finn used the opportunity to flank his left side and aim for his hind leg before he even registered that the Beta was moving.

Finn sunk his teeth into the Alpha's hind leg and heard the bone crack under the pressure his powerful jaw exerted.

Wells let out a loud yelp followed by a whimper just as Finn caught sight of Miller off to the side getting ready to phase into his own wolf form.

**Miller: 'Make this quick Finn, he probably just alerted the rest of the pack. If they show up we'll be outnumbered. I can always step in help you take him out faster'**

_**NO! Stay exactly where you are, he's mine. I need to take him out on my own to claim the Alpha position.** _

While Finn was distracted with Miller Wells managed to rear his free hind leg back and kick the Beta in the snout forcing him to release his hold.

Finn quickly shook his head and readied himself to attack again baring his teeth and growling.

The Alpha dropped into an offensive stance and the two wolves began to circle each other waiting to see who make the first move.

Just as Finn was about to launch himself at Wells the Alpha sprang forward.

Finn side stepped him picking up one of his front paws and swiping it across the length of Well's side as he sailed by.

_**He's making this too easy.** _

A wolfish grin spread across Finn's maw as he realized this wouldn't be as hard as he and Miller originally thought it would be.

Wells' body crashed to the floor sliding across the clearing picking up dirt and leaving a long dent where his body skidded to a stop.

Finn let out a warning growl telling him to stay down and concede to his superior power, but the Wells' started to get up again.

**Miller: 'Damn you'd think he would realize he can't win.'**

_**No matter, if he won't fall under my command, I'll kill him.** _

Finn sprinted over to Wells taking in his unstable stance only being able to put weight on 3 paws since his 4th was badly injured from the first attack. The fur the Alpha's left side was caked in blood and he looked as though he might not be able to take much more.

Finn faked to his left as if he were going for his injured side again but just as he was within reaching distance of the injured Alpha and he saw him instinctively turn to protect his left side the Beta changed direction, pivoted around on his hind legs and sinking his teeth into the back of Wells' exposed neck.

Wells howled in pain and weakly tried to throw the Beta off of his back But Finn just sunk his teeth in deeper causing him to whimper.

As Finn felt Wells weaken in his jaw a tingling sensation traveled down his back and he could feel his wolf form growing with every whimper that escaped from the Alpha.

**Miller: 'Dude, you're getting bigger, it's working! Finish him off I can hear the others coming.'**

As Finn continued to hold the injured wolf in a firm grip and the Alpha energy finally settled deep within him he opened up his mind to Wells.

_**Submit to my will as your Alpha now or die!** _

_**Wells: 'You're no Alpha of mine boy; you're not mentally fit to be Alpha!'** _

Finn tightened his jaw once again and used one of his paws to dig his sharp claws into Wells' injured side.

_**This is your last chance, submit or die!** _

_**Wells: 'No!'** _

_**Miller: 'Finn! I smell a bloodsucker! Its-'** _

Before Miller could finish his thought a yelp and a loud crashing noise followed by a whimper reverberated throughout the clearing.

Something hard then collided with Finn's body forcing him to release the hold he had on Wells sending him through 2 nearby trees.

Finn scrambled to his feet and looked over to his right where he could see Miller coming to barely able to stand on his own two feet.

_**Miller! What happened?** _

**Miller: 'I don't know man. When you were about to finish Wells off I scented a leech, it came from out of nowhere, there was no sign of it approaching at all. It was like the smell just materialized out of thin air. Then it felt like a wrecking ball crashed into me.'**

_**What the fuck was that!?** _

When Finn looked around the clearing there was no sign of Wells anywhere causing him to let out a loud howl of frustration at not being able to finish the job.

_**Motherfucker!** _

* * *

**A/N:**

**Oh shit son! Who the fuck was that? Lol**

**I'm only a little bit sorry for this Cliffy I really needed to end this chapter here otherwise I would have never stopped typing. You'll get the answer to this in a few days, the chapter is already written it just needs to be beta'd.**

**In the meantime, let us know what you thought :)**


	18. Chapter 18

 

 

 

**A/N:**

**Here's Chapter 18, it's also Clarke heavy simply because of the content. We have reach the beginning of the revelations you've all been waiting for. The next chapter will be full of all kinds of answers to your burning questions, starting with the very end of this chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy the read and leave us a comment/review I'm interested to find out how many of you saw it coming lol.**

* * *

_**Chapter 18** _

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**Person POV** _

_**(Individual Pack member thoughts will be clearly indicated)** _

Wells watched as Finn's body went flying into the woods.

The injured wolf's body remained slumped on the ground from blood loss and he could barely keep his eyes open but he could smell the leech that had warned him of Finn's pending treachery close by.

She picked him up like he didn't weigh anything and began to run in the direction of the boardwalk.

_**Echo: 'Wells! What's going on? Wick, Monty, Jasper and I are almost there.'** _

_**Wells: 'Finn betrayed the pack. He's broken his bond and the bond Miller has to us.'** _

_**Wick: 'The dude finally flipped his lid obviously. Am I the only one that saw this coming?'** _

_**Jasper: 'Well I'm glad to be rid of him and especially Miller, I was getting tired of having to see his psychotic perverted thoughts when we shift. That dude has issues.'** _

_**Monty: 'They both do.'** _

_**Echo: 'Wells, we're close how are you holding up?'** _

_**Wells: 'I'm fine Echo, lost a lot of blood but I'm already healing. There is a leech here with me, when you get to the clearing you are not to attack. That is an order, understood?'** _

There was a long pause but eventually the pack responded as a whole with their understanding.

As the final gash on Wells' side started to close up he rose to his feet. The leg that Finn damaged had already healed while his rescuer was running them to their current location about 5 miles away from the clearing where the fight took place and closer to the Den.

The stranger perched herself on a fallen tree as she waited for the rest of the pack to arrive.

Wells grunted his thanks in her direction and she tilted her head at him in acknowledgement while allowing a small smile to grace her blood red lips.

Just then the entire pack came barreling out of the trees skidding to a stop behind Wells and immediately started to growl at the woman.

She paid them no mind whatsoever and continued lounging against the tree while twirling her copper red hair through her fingers.

_**Wells: 'All of you stand down. Now!'** _

They all immediately got out of their offensive stance at his command.

_**Wells: 'Echo, Jasper and Monty change into your human forms. Wick, stay in your wolf form and give me your shorts.'** _

_**Jasper: 'You sure that's a good idea Wells? This vampire is in our territory, shouldn't we be ripping it apart?'** _

_**Wells: 'Unfortunately I owe her my life, so do as I said. Now!'** _

Wick used his teeth to untie his shorts from his hind leg. Wells took them from him as he walked by and proceeded to go behind a bush to shift and cover up.

Echo, Jasper and Monty did the same in the surrounding bushes.

When they all emerged in their human forms the woman was still perched on the fallen tree looking as though she didn't have a care in the world.

Wick trotted over to Echo and sat on his hunches to her right. She had a frown etched across her face as she studying the strange woman and contemplated Finn's betrayal.

"I'm going to fucking kill Finn the next time I see his treacherous psychotic ass."

The woman finally looked over at them after Echo's comment.

"You most certainly will have to keep that promise."

"Not that I'm not grateful for your assistance but the last time we spoke was when you came into our territory without permission and I told you that my pack would rip you apart if you ever returned. So why are you here?" Wells asked in a gruff tone.

The woman threw her head back and let out of humorous laugh.

"Wells Jaha, all 5 of you together would not even come close to having a chance against me… But your spirit is noted. You will need it to accomplish what is needed of you and your pack in the future, I can assure you of that."

She said this with a smirk on her face but Wells could see in her strange glowing blue-green eyes that she wasn't kidding.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean bloodsucker? What's going to happen?"

She hopped down from her perch and stepped closer to him. He could feel the pack tense behind him but he lifted his right hand indicating that they were to hold their positions.

He couldn't afford to lose anymore pack members at this point.

Wells reminded himself that she handled Finn and Miller in seconds and with that in mind he knew that they would probably pose no problem for her if she felt like attacking.

Her eyes traveled over Wells and the pack as if she was sizing them up before they landed on him once again.

"You will need more pack members for what is coming and from the smell saturating the air in this town I can tell that there are more than a few younglings on the verge of changing. I have been making frequent visits to your territory and the areas surrounding it to expedite the changes so you will have your hands full for the next few months."

"You've been on our land without us knowing?!"

Echo couldn't believe that this leech had been running around their territory completely undetected and her wolfs' protective and territorial instinct immediately kicked in. The other 4 members of her pack joined in her outrage and issued warning growls at the woman once again.

"Calm yourselves, you will soon learn that I am not your enemy. Had it not have been for me over hearing young Finn's plans to overthrow Wells then he would not be here right now. I would further suggest you all watch your tone with me. I have been nothing but patient with your hostility so far and I would hate to have to lay waste to your entire pack when you could all prove to be useful." She said all of this in a deceptively calm tone of voice.

Echo went to take a step forward to challenge the woman but Wells quickly stood in front of her to stop her progress.

The woman eyed the female shifter and smiled in satisfaction before turning her back on the pack and walking back over the fallen tree she'd been occupying.

"Echo, I mean your Alpha no harm. I have only come here to warn you all of things to come," she still had her back to them.

Wells gave Echo a look letting her know to stay exactly where she is before he stepped forward and addressed the woman again.

"What is it that you have to tell us?"

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**Person POV (Clarke Centric)** _

Clarke woke up the next morning thankful that she hadn't had another strange dream, but just as that thought crossed her mind she remembered what day it was. This was shortly followed by the realization that she would be facing her parents within the next hour.

_**I'm so not looking forward to this…** _

She buried her head under one of the pillows hoping she could just fall back asleep and skip the whole day, but unfortunately Lexa wasn't going to have any of that.

"I know you're awake. You can't hide away from the world today hodnes."

Clarke pulled her head from under the pillow and looked over at her mate who was already fully dressed and ready to face the day.

"I don't think I can do this…"

Lexa leaned over Clarke's body from her perch on the edge of the mattress and moved some of her mate's hair out of her face.

"I know that it may seem daunting, but I will be there with you every step of the way and so will Callie and Marcus. I can't ask you to stop stressing because I know you can't really control that, I just want you to try to remember we're all here for you. Okay?"

Clarke willed a genuine smile onto her face in thanks as she took hold of Lexa's hand and placed a kiss on her cool knuckles.

"I know and you're right. I guess it's just my nerves."

Lexa nodded while she continued to run her fingers through Clarke's hair further assisting her with relaxing. A blissful sigh left the blonde's lips as she relaxed into the calming touch using the gesture to slow her mind down as much as possible.

"Why don't you take a hot shower while I go help Callie prepare something for you to eat for breakfast?"

"Okay, I'll be down as soon as I'm done."

Lexa placed a kiss on the blonde's forehead before rising up from the bed to walk out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind her Clarke climbed out of bed and started to get herself ready for the day ahead. She picked out something simple to wear from the clothes that Octavia snuck out of her bedroom at home and took a long hot shower.

She got dressed quickly and exited the bedroom to head down to the kitchen where she could hear and smell Lexa and Callie making her eggs and bacon.

As she passed by Marcus' home office the door opened and he stepped out into the hallway closing the door behind him.

"Good morning Clarke, I hope you aren't too worried about today."

Clarke shot him a small smile, "Lexa's been trying to reassure me that it will all work out, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'm nervous to see them for the first time after the incident. Know what I mean?"

He smiled and nodded in understanding, "Yes, I can understand that but Callie will be accompanying us just in case tempers begin to flare again. She has a way with these sorts of things as I'm sure Lexa has mentioned."

"Yeah, she mentioned it."

The two of them made it to the bottom of the stairs before he turned to Clarke with a studious look on his face, "After all of this is taken care of Callie and I would like to have a sit down with you to talk about everything that has been happening. I'm certain that you must have some questions, and there are a few things that our contacts have turned up that we would like to share with you as well."

Clarke brightened a little at the prospect of getting some answers to the thoughts and occurrences that have been plaguing her lately and offered Marcus a hope filled smile.

"Of course, I would really like that."

After a few seconds she followed up her statement by asking the vampire if there was anything that she should be worried about in regards to what their contacts were able to turn up.

_**I really can't handle anymore crap right now…** _

"Not at all Clarke, it's just that as you know Callie and I have been doing a bit of research along with a few close friends of mine to try to figure out why it is that you are reacting to these changes so quickly and why the bond between you and Lexa has progressed so excessively. We have a few theories and we just want to ask you a few questions so that we can narrow everything down and get closer to finding some answers."

_**This could actually turn out to be a good thing, I wouldn't mind finding out what is up with me.** _

"Yeah, that sounds great."

He nodded before following Clarke into the kitchen where Lexa and Callie were waiting.

As they entered Lexa made her way around the kitchen island and wrapped an arm around her mate while Marcus made his way over to Callie.

Lexa grinned at Clarke, pulling a stool out for her to sit and placing a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her.

"I managed to make your breakfast by myself, Callie didn't have to lift a finger to help me."

The Vampire looked very proud of herself and Clarke had to suppress the urge to give her a pat on the head.

"Good job babe. I'm proud of you." Clarke gave her a chaste kiss on her lips before picking up her fork to take a bite.

She half expected the food to taste horrible since Lexa had never actually cooked for her over the last week that she'd been staying in the house but the vampire must have been paying close attention to what Callie was doing over the last couple of days because all of it tasted perfectly fine.

When she was halfway through her meal she noticed that she couldn't detect anyone else in the house.

"Where's everyone else?"

Callie turned from the quiet conversation she was having with her mate to address Clarke's question.

"Bellamy and Raven have gone out to spend the day with their mates and Lincoln and Octavia have decided to run up north to go hunting for bigger game. They all wished you luck today before they left."

Although Clarke still had a great deal of mistrust towards the wolf pack, especially because of Finn and the incident that happened on the beach, she was happy to hear that Bellamy and Raven had found their mates among the pack and that they were taking the time to try and make it work regardless of their innate dislike of the shifters as a species.

When she was finished eating and Lexa had collected her dirty plate to clean everything up she realized that it was time to start heading over to her house to confront her parents.

"It's time to go dear." Callie said with a sweet smile on her face that helped to calm Clarke down a little, but not by much.

"Everything will be fine Clarke, we will not allow things to escalate the way they did last time we were there." Lexa said as she grasped Clarke's hand to gently pull her to her feet and follow Marcus and Callie out to the garage.

As they approached the mustang Clarke noticed that Octavia had completely redone the door and it looked like nothing had ever happened to it. Lexa decided to drive which Clarke was thankful for, despite her crazy driving. She just didn't think her nerves would have allowed her to focus on driving and the last thing she needed was getting into an accident on an already stressful day.

Callie and Marcus got into their car as Lexa pulled out of the garage.

Lexa drove at a reasonable speed which Clarke appreciated and Callie and Marcus followed behind them.

In no time at all they were parked outside Clarke's house and she was sweating bullets.

"I don't think I can do this…" I breathed out for the second time since waking up that morning.

"We'll do it together hodnes, I'll be right there with you the entire time." She then reached over and gave Clarke's hand a gentle squeeze before exiting the car and walking over to the passenger side to let her out.

When she got out of the car Callie and Marcus had already exited theirs and they were waiting on the porch.

Lexa took Clarke's hand and the two of them walked up to the porch, the vampire did not let go of her hand as she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Behind the door she could hear that Jake and Abby were both awake and in the kitchen. Someone was doing dishes and as the bell rung Clarke heard the heavy footsteps of her father heading towards the door.

The door swung open and Clarke's breath caught in her throat as she took in his appearance. It looked like he hadn't slept in days and he looked absolutely miserable until he saw that she was standing before him.

He's eyes lit up as he gazed at her and Lexa gave Clarke's hand a gentle squeeze reminding her that she had her support.

"Princess! I'm so glad you've comeback. Abs! Clarke's here!" He then swooped in and pulled her into his arms wrapping her up in a tight hug.

Clarke briefly sunk into the feeling while keeping Lexa's hand in her grasp.

When she looked over his shoulder and saw Abby exit the kitchen Clarke could see the surprised look on her face but she could also detect the somber haze in her eyes as she approached them.

Jake finally released Clarke and it was only then that he realized that she wasn't alone. Clarke half expected to see him scowl at the vampires, especially Lexa but his expression was schooled into one of acceptance as he extended his hand to Marcus.

"Marcus, it's good to see you again."

Marcus gave him a firm handshake and a warm smile before glancing over Jake's shoulder at Abby.

"Same to you Jake, I hope you don't mind, but my wife Callie and I decided to tag along."

Marcus' words were friendly enough but as Clarke observed the interaction between the two men it was clear to her that Marcus was almost daring her father to question his presence along with Callie and Lexa's presence in his home.

To his credit, Jake didn't flinch away from Marcus' penetrating gaze, instead he redirected his attention to Callie and fixed her with the same look of acceptance that he'd given Marcus and reached out to give her a hand shake as well.

"It's good to finally meet you Callie, thank you for taking care of Clarke over the last few days."

Clarke had her eyes trained on her mother as introductions were made and she could see her visibly cringe at Jake's last words.

_**I wonder what that's about….** _

"It's good to meet you as well Jake." Callie neutrally stated and as Clarke shifted her eyes towards the matriarch of the coven she could see that she too was keeping close watch of Abby she almost had a dangerous glint in her eyes as she regarded the woman.

Jake finally looked over to Lexa who was standing quietly next to her mate. As soon as she registered the attention she shifted closer to Clarke and placed her hand on the small of her back to reinforce her continued presence and support.

"It's good to see you again Lexa. Please come in, I'm sure we have a few things to discuss."

Jake led the group into the living room where Abby had been standing since their arrival.

"Abby, this is Marcus our new D.A. and his wife Callie who I think will be starting work soon at the hospital, I don't think you've all met."

Abby stepped forward and shook both of their hands before turning to Lexa and Clarke.

"Hello, Mrs. Griffin. It is good to see you again." Lexa said mechanically. Clarke could tell that she was holding herself back from saying anything threatening and Abby only smiled briefly at her before looking over to her daughter.

"Clarke." She said in a breathy and shaky voice.

Clarke almost wanted to go to her and hug her, but then the memories of the hurtful things Abby had said to her just a week ago surfaced and she forced the feeling back into the pit of her stomach.

"Mother." Clarke was surprised at the amount of hurt and venom she managed to put into the word, but decided not to dwell on it too long lest she actually start to feel sorry.

Abby made a move to step closer to her, possibly to try and initiate a hug, but Clarke simply stepped passed her with Lexa in tow and went to take a seat on the longer of the two couches in the room across from the TV.

_**The same couch Lexa and I sat on when she berated me for being who I am.** _

"Why don't we all take a seat?" Callie said obviously starting to move into her role as the diplomat for the gathering. Lexa sat to Clarke's right, Callie sat to her left and Marcus stood next to the couch beside Callie since it wasn't big enough for all four of them to sit on comfortably.

Abby and Jake took a seat side by side on the remaining couch and the silence that ensued in the room was almost deafening.

"It's really good to see you again Princess. I know that we didn't leave things on good terms the last time you were here… but your Mother and I would really like to make amends for all of that." Jake said softly while taking Abby's hand in his own.

Clarke let out a disgusted chuckle at the statement and had to force herself to not roll her eyes.

"You mean when Mom basically berated me for being who I am?" She asked him venomously.

_**Wow, I didn't know I was harboring this much anger towards them…** _

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Abby tense up at her words and the action provided a little bit of much needed satisfaction.

"Clarke, that isn't fair." Abby stated firmly, immediately taking offense.

"Isn't it?! Am I just supposed to gloss over how much of a bitch you were?" She said sharply as she trained her gaze on her mother. Abby shrunk back and that sick sense of satisfaction resulting from Abby's continued reaction to her words increased just a little more.

"Don't speak to your mother that way." Jake immediately cut in trying to defend his wife from his only child.

Clarke just shook her head and took Lexa's hand in her own feeling the vampire squeeze it gently, when Clarke looked up into her eyes she could tell that her mate wanted her to calm down so she took a few deep breaths and tried to relax against the couch cushions.

"Clarke, please… you have to understand… when you sprung that on us… it really caught us off guard. I admit that I reacted poorly and I'm sorry for that-"

Clarke's anger flared up again.

"You're sorry!? Is that supposed to make me feel better!? Do you have any idea at all how much courage it took for me to even tell you all of that? Do you have any idea how afraid I was that you would both hate me for who I am? You broke my heart last week. You're my Mother; you're supposed to love me no matter what. You're supposed to understand. You're supposed to protect me. Instead you treated me like some sinful diseased freak!"

By the time she was done with her tirade she was breathing heavily holding on to Lexa's hand so tightly that had she been human she'd have more than a few broken bones.

Abby lowered her head and could be heard quietly sobbing as Jake rubbed circles on her back.

"I just didn't want you to get hurt like I did Clarke…" she said quietly.

"The only person that hurt me was you! I thought that you loved me, but obviously I was wrong…"

It was then that Callie stepped in.

"Abby, I know that it might seem like Clarke is a completely different person to you because of this new revelation and I know that I've only known her for a short amount of time, but I can assure you that she is every bit the respectful young woman that you lovingly raised. Her sexual orientation does not change who she is and as her Mother your opinion means the most to her. Over the last week that she has been with me and my family I have witnessed just how brokenhearted she's been thinking that she's lost both of you because of this. Please do not prove her fears true for a second time."

Callie's words seemed to have hit home with Abby as her sobs started to calmed down a little.

Marcus then stepped forward and addressed Jake, who he'd gotten closer to on a professional level over the last two weeks of taking over as the D.A. for their area.

"Jake, you know that I respect you greatly and I would be nothing but honest with you. My daughter is very much in love with Clarke, and my wife and kids have all grown very attached to her over the last week. You've both raised a wonderful young lady; she is smart, respectful, caring and honest. My daughter has nothing but Clarke's best interests at heart and all they are both hoping for is your understanding and acceptance."

Jake seemed to have appreciated Marcus' input.

Clarke and Lexa both sat quietly as they observed the interactions taking place before them.

Clarke focused in on her mother and something clicked in her head as she remembered Abby's last words.

"What did you mean by not wanted me to get hurt like you did?" Clarke asked.

Abby lifted her gaze and looked up at her daughter with teary eyes.

"You're father knows about this already… when I was in high school before your father and I started dating, I was very much in love. I fell hard for my best friend and she broke my heart the first chance she got. She told everyone that I was a… a… a d-dyke… and the whole school tormented me for it, the only one that ever talked to me after that was your father…"

Deep down Clarke felt some sympathy for her, but the emotion that was at the forefront of her mind was betrayal.

Clarke maintained her gaze with Abby willing herself to remain calm.

"So, you mean to tell me that you understood what I was going through and instead of offering me the support that you never got, you turned on me the same way the kids at your school turned on you?"

Abby immediately recoiled, obviously not wanting to be compared to the kids that made her own high school career horrible.

"Clarke! You have to understand, I was shocked and afraid, you'd never shown any interest in girls before this and I just didn't want you to have to go through what I went through."

_**Are you kidding me? Is she deluded?** _

"I've already had to deal with the fall out at school, and I think that I dealt with it just fine without any emotional bruising. The kids aren't the problem here, _you_ are! I could take their tormenting every single day, Sterling could crave the word 'Dyke' into my car again every single day and it wouldn't come close to affecting me the way that your rejection did!"

Clarke was getting angry again and she could feel Callie take a hold of her other hand to help in calming her down.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jake flinch and frown at what she said about Sterling vandalizing her car.

"I needed you to be my Mother, I needed you to understand, not make everything worse!"

Abby started to outright cry and Callie got up from the couch crossing the living room to where Jake and Abby were sitting. She placed her hand on Abby's shoulder and waited until she looked up at her before speaking.

"As difficult as this may be for you, try remembering what it felt like to be in Clarke's position. Remember what it felt like to feel like no one understood and to feel like the whole world would look down on you if they found out about your feelings. Is that something you really want your only daughter to feel coming from you?" Callie asked her softly.

Abby shook her head, "Of course not, I would protect her with my own life."

"Well unfortunately that isn't the impression you gave her last week. She cried herself to sleep that night and pretty much every night for the following 3 days. It was heart breaking and the only person that can fix that pain is you."

Abby's gaze shifted from Callie to Clarke as new tears started to stream down her face. She slowly got up from the couch and made her way over to where Lexa and Clarke were still seated.

She then got down on her knees directly in front of them.

"Clarke… Baby, I am so very sorry… I wasn't thinking. I should have hugged you and told you that there was nothing wrong with you. I should have told you what happened to me and prayed that it didn't happen to you. Please forgive me for acting irrationally. Please forgive me for ever having you believe that I didn't love you because of who you are. You're my baby girl... My only baby, and I would give my life for yours."

She then looked over to Lexa and took her free hand in hers, "Lexa, I never even took the opportunity to get to know you. I let my fear and anger blind me to the fact that Clarke has always had good judgment. If she choose you I know that you're right for her. Please accept my apology for my deplorable behavior and for the ugly things I said to you and please don't break my baby's heart…"

As her Mother's words washed over her and finally sunk in Clarke felt the anger and hate slowly fade away, it felt like a sumo wrestler had gotten off of her chest and she could finally breathe again.

Clarke looked over to Lexa and saw her give Abby a firm nod of acceptance as the corner of her mouth lifted in a brief smile.

Clarke looked over to her father and could see the relief wash over him and his tense shoulders finally relax. She then looked back down at her mother and saw that she was staring deeply into her eyes begging her for forgiveness.

Clarke could tell that she was genuinely sorry.

"I forgive you…" she said quietly, knowing that it was probably only the first step towards completely getting back to the way things used to be between them.

Abby smiled brightly before pulling Clarke into a hug while still kneeling in front of her on the floor.

"Thank you baby. I missed you so much." She chanted over and over again.

Then she did something completely unexpected. She reached over and pulled Lexa into their hug and held onto her just as tightly.

After about 2 minutes Abby finally let them both go and stood up to return to sit beside Jake who had a very proud smile on his face.

Callie placed her hand on Abby's shoulder once again and smiled down at her. Abby reached up and grasped her hand giving it a gentle squeeze too distracted by the emotions rolling around inside of her to register Callie's lower than normal body temperature even after being inside the warm house for so long.

"Thank you Callie… for everything." She said quietly.

"It was my pleasure, I just want to see our kids happy and Clarke has missed you both terribly."

For the next hour Abby and Callie disappeared in the kitchen to get to know each other better, Marcus and Jake went out to the porch to talk about a few disappearance cases that were being reported in a nearby city that were moving closer to their town.

Lexa and Clarke passed the time cuddled up on the couch enjoying the relief of having that one obstacle in their lives cleared away.

Callie, Marcus and Lexa eventually left, with Lexa promising to come back and spend the night with Clarke low enough so that the human ear wouldn't be able to catch the conversation.

After they were gone Clarke and Abby went up to her bedroom to talk.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about Abby's high school friend that broke her heart and everything that she went through during that period of her life and Clarke talked about Lexa and the rest of the Woods family that she'd grown so close to.

Abby seemed to be happy that Clarke had found someone who would love her for who she is and she was also happy that Clarke now had the chance to experience having siblings, something that she couldn't give her.

After making dinner together, the small family had their first family meal in over a week and Clarke went upstairs to take a shower before bed. She felt strange being back at home after being away for so long, but welcomed the feeling enjoying the knowledge that her parents were moving toward accepting her relationship with Lexa.

When Clarke entered her bedroom Lexa was sitting in the chair by the bed, she'd already pulled out some boxer shorts and a tank top for Clarke to dress in for bed. Clarke made her way across the room and placed a soft kiss on the vampire's cool skin before stripping out of her jeans and t-shirt to change into the pj's.

Once dressed she got into bed and lifted the covers as an invitation for Lexa to join her.

The vampire wasted no time in getting up from the chair, kicking her boots off and slipping out of her own jeans.

As Lexa situated herself in the bed next to her mate and Clarke cuddled in closer she started to once again worry about her cooler than normal body temperature.

"Are you sure my cold skin won't make you uncomfortable?" she asked.

"No, it's actually very soothing, after this past week I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep properly again unless I can feel you against me."

Lexa nodded in acceptance as she wrapped her arms around the human who was busy burying her face into her the area where the vampire's neck met her shoulder.

" _Ai hod yu in Klark Grifon_ , sleep well."

During her week stay with the Woods coven Lexa, Lincoln and Callie had all been helping her to learn the twins' native language. It was slow progress but Clarke was starting to get the hang of it.

" _Ai hod yu in seintaim Leksa Woods_. Thank you for being there for me today."

Lexa smiled down at her mate, proud of the progress she's been making with the language even though her accent was a little off which never ceases to make her tutors laugh it was clear that the human was trying very hard and was determined to learn.

Lexa places a kiss on Clarke's forehead and tightened her hold on her mate just a fraction and it wasn't long before the blonde's breathing changed indicating that she'd drifted to sleep.

The next morning Clarke woke up to the smell of honey and lavender heavy on her skin and in her sheets. As she sat up Lexa was climbing back through the window.

"Hey, I went home to get cleaned up and changed before you woke up. Callie and Marcus would like you to come over to the house so that you can have that meeting Marcus mentioned to you yesterday. Feeling up to it?"

Clarke nodded, "Yeah, I'm looking forward to some answers honestly. Have they told you anything about what they've found out so far?"

Lexa frowned at this. "No, I've actually been trying all morning to get something out of them, but they are insisting on talking to us together. Which in hindsight is appreciated, I'm just a desperate for information as you are _hodnes_."

Clarke mulled over Lexa's words and felt her respect and appreciation for Marcus and Callie increase just a bit more with the knowledge that they would never leave her out of anything by having discussions with Lexa behind her back regardless of the fact that they are mated.

"Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait and see... I'm sure everything will be fine."

Clarke stretched out her body causing her tank top to ride up and as she looked over to Lexa, who was still standing by the window. She could see her eyes were darkening while they fixated on her exposed abdomen.

Lexa a made a move towards the bed as her nostrils flared and her gaze remained fixed on her mate.

"No Lexa, we have to go see Callie and Marcus, we don't have time for that." Clarke firmly drawing Lexa's attention away from the exposed skin.

Lexa huffed in annoyance but remained by the window in an effort to keep some distance between herself and her mate.

"Very well _Hodnes._ We will revisit this after the meeting though."

It was said as a promise as Lexa fixed Clarke with a determined gaze.

Clarke felt a shiver run up her spine at the promise of things to come and had to force herself to not cave and let Lexa have her way with her which would more than likely result in them not making it back to the mansion until much later in the day.

"I will wait outside while you get ready. Your parents have both already left for work and Callie was getting started on your breakfast when I left the house."

"Sounds good, I'll be down in 10 minutes tops," Clarke replied as she got up from the bed and made her way over to the closet to pull out a black fitted V-neck t-shirt and some blue skinny jeans to throw on.

10 minutes later Clarke was locking the front door and walking over to Lexa's car.

The ride there was comfortably quiet and short. As they got closer to the house Clarke could hear Raven hollering at something most likely to do with the video game she could also hear playing in the background. She then heard Bellamy yelling at the exuberant vampire to keep it down because he was trying to read and Callie yelling at both of them for yelling in the house.

A smile graced Clarke's lips as she listened to all the commotion in the house, happy to be back after only being away for a night.

"Ready to enter the zoo?" Lexa asked as she parked the car in the garage.

Clarke chuckled lowly and got out of the passenger side breathing in the aroma of breakfast being made and the lingering scents of the vampires she's quickly starting to consider her extended family.

As soon as she lifted her foot to take a step towards the door leading into the kitchen it swung open and Raven blurred into the garage swooping Clarke up in a bear hug completely ignoring Lexa's growl of annoyance.

"Gryffindor, you're here! You wouldn't believe the amateurs I'm dealing with in this game right now. Let's go show 'em how it's supposed to be done!" Her grin shone brightly this morning and the vampire's antics had Clarke laughing.

"Raven put my mate down. She hasn't even made it into the house yet!" Lexa admonished, but Clarke could see the twinkle of humor in her eyes asw Raven just rolled her eyes dramatically while placing the blonde back on her feet.

"Are we gonna play today or what? I tried to get Wick to come over here to play with me but he's on patrol all day and I need a partner."

Clarke considered it and figured that it wouldn't hurt to indulge in some mindless video game playing later on, especially after the day she had yesterday.

"Maybe after my meeting with Callie and Marcus."

Callie then appeared in the doorway.

"But not before you eat something Clarke."

Raven huffed at this, "Human's waste so much valuable time doing things like eating and sleeping. It's ridiculous…"

Clarke punched her in the arm.

"Whoa there Griffin! I actually kind of felt that." Raven said surprised as she rubbed at the area where Clarke's fist had made contact.

"Stop making fun of the human then and I won't have to hurt you."

Lexa snorted at Raven's gaped expression.

The younger vampire held up her hands in mock surrender before blurring back into the house.

Lexa led Clarke into the kitchen so that she could eat breakfast before heading up to Callie's office to have the meeting.

As they got closer to the door Clarke noticed that it was already open, she'd never actually been inside Callie office before, the door had been closed every time she walked passed it during her weeklong stay in the house.

They entered the room and took the two seats in front of Callie's desk and waited for the vampire matriarch to finish reading through the document she had open in front of her.

When she was done she looked up at pair and smiled gently.

"Good morning Clarke, I hope that the rest of your day yesterday went well."

Clarke appreciated the concern she could hear in Callie's voice.

"It did, thank you again for coming along with us. I don't think things would have worked out the way they did if you and Marcus weren't there." Clarke said gratefully.

"Not a problem at all Clarke, Marcus and I will always be here for you, whatever you may need, please remember that." She said with a warm and genuine smile on her face.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to remember that."

Lexa reached out for Clarke's hand taking it into her and lacing their fingers since she could tell that the blonde was thinking about what could have happened yesterday if Callie and Marcus hadn't have been there to talk sense into her parents.

"Will Marcus be joining us for this?" She asked.

Callie nodded, "Yes _Gona_ , he had to take a call about those disappearances that have been happening lately. He wants us to get started without him, He'll be along when he is done with the call."

Lexa nodded in understanding having heard Callie and Marcus discussing the influx of reports concerning humans in nearby towns coming up missing all of a sudden.

"So, what have you found out?" Lexa asked wanting to get right into it.

Callie looked thoughtful her gaze shifting between Clarke and Lexa as if she wasn't entirely certain where to begin.

"As you both know our contacts have been doing extensive research to try to find out anything we can about the things that are happening to Clarke. We've managed to come up with a few explanations but none of them seem to have all the answers that we are looking for, so I was hoping that I could ask you a few questions to try to narrow down some of the possibilities."

Clarke sat up a little in her seat and Lexa shifted her chair over so she could be closer to her mate.

"No problem, I'll answer any question that you might have." Clarke answered her confidently.

"Excellent, well let's get started."

Clarke was anxious to find out anything she could and she knew that if anyone could find the answers that both she and Lexa were looking for that it would be Callie and Marcus.

"Lexa tells me that you started to feel the effects of the bonding energy only an hour after the two of you made physical contact for the first time?"

Clarke nodded her head in confirmation.

"The only time that this has ever occurred is when two vampires who are mated meet and touch for the first time and I'm sure I'm correct in the assumption that you are not a vampire, so we have already ruled this out as a possibility."

Callie then pulled out some papers from a drawer in her desk and started to flip through them.

"My contacts have had a few encounters with beings who are known as _dhampires_. They are essentially living born vampires but this was also ruled out because these beings need to supplement their human diet with blood, and since you have no craving for blood you could not possibly fit into this category either."

The more Callie spoke the more Clarke realized just how large of a task this must be for them.

So far she'd learned that both vampires and shapeshifters are real, so she was sure that the list of mythical and fairy tale creatures that actually exist in the world could possibly be very long. Not to say that she might be one of them, but it seems like Callie and her friends were leaning in that direction.

"Callie it sounds to me that you're assuming I'm not altogether human. Am I right?"

Callie smiled and nodded her head, "You are correct Clarke, this is nothing you need to be worried about at this point, especially considering the fact that if you are not infact human, you have more than likely been this way since birth and have not suffered because of it as of yet."

Clarke nodded in understanding and Lexa remained silent as she waited for Callie to continue.

"You are very unique for a human and I have never come across one quite like you in my almost 1000 years of existence. You do not smell like the average human, some of our abilities do not work properly on you. You are unusually comfortable around the supernatural, while most humans are hardwired to avoid us due to their self-preservation mechanism, and you are reacting very rapidly and strongly to the blood replenishment tablets you've been taking."

Callie paused as she waiting for Clarke to take all of that in.

"All of these things lead us to believe that you may be something a little more than human."

When she was finished listing all of Clarke's abnormalities the blonde started to feel a little overwhelmed and she was finding it hard to understand how Callie, Marcus and their contacts could be managing figuring out what she is, if not human, when there are so many possibilities out there.

"Clarke, I'm not going to tell you that it will be easy to figure out exactly what it is that makes you a little more if not a lot more than human, but I am going to tell you that so far no one has ever seen or recorded anything close to describing or explain what it is that you could possibly be."

As Callie finished her sentence a new scent suddenly filled the air in the room, instantly making Clarke tense. It smelt like sweat cream and a field of many different wonderful flowers mixed together. About 2 seconds later Lexa and Callie both stiffened having just picked up the scent as well.

_**I picked up the scent before they did? What is that?** _

Just as she was mulling this new realization over a voice that she knew very well registered coming from directly behind her chair.

"I believe I can assist you with solving this puzzle."

Clarke swung around in her seat in a flash and her eyes landed on none other than Helena.

She took in her copper colored shoulder length hair, her defined features and striking glowing blue-green eyes as the woman gazed right back at her.

"Helena," she said in almost a whisper, out of the corner of her eye she could see Lexa looking at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Clarke, we meet at last. I have waited a very long time for this day. A very very long time indeed." Helena said with a soft almost loving smile on her face as she took a step towards the seated human.

Lexa shot up from her seat and stood in front of her mate crouching ready to attack if need be.

"Clarke, you know this person?" Lexa asked with a growl clearly evident in her voice.

"I-..I.. y-yes…" Clarke stuttered out not able to wrap her head around how the person from her dreams was now standing before her.

Callie also blurred in front of Clarke to assist Lexa with forming a barrier between Helena and the stunned human.

Clarke managed to finally rise from her seated position looking passed Callie and Lexa and that is when her eyes caught the painting hanging on the wall beside the doorway.

Right there, right in Callie's office were the faces of Cage, Indra, and Thelonious.

"But h-how?" It was the last thing she said before her vision tunneled and she blacked out.

* * *

**A/N**

**Not sorry about the cliffy. ;p Don't worry you won't have to wait long to get another update that picks up right where this one left off, I'm excited for the next chapter because you get to find out exactly what Clarke is as well as finding out why she's been reacting the way she has been to the bonding with Lexa. That update will be coming next friday. My goal is to get you guys at least one update per week, maybe more if you are lucky.**

**We've both got tumblrs and would love to talk to you guys on there as well if you have one!**

**Author: orangesmurfette**

**Beta: lupatheshewolf**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**

**Alright peeps, here's the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for, it is content heavy, plenty of answers and info surrounding all the burning questions in the story up to this point so pay close attention.**

**This chapter has not been Beta'ed because Lupa is super busy with school and life right now, I did the best I could though, so hopefully it isn't too bad. All mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

**Also, for those who read the previous chapter update immediately when it was posted I need to point out that I went back in and made an important change to one detail, when Clarke saw the painting in Callie's office it was actually supposed to be Cage, Thelonious and Indra that she saw, not Dante. That was a minor error I made in my haste to get the chapter done and posted and it has since been corrected. So yeah, there it is.**

**I hope you enjoy the update, the next chapter will be posted by next Friday, leave a comment/review I really want to hear what you all think about the revelation of what Clarke is! :)**

* * *

_**Chapter 19** _

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**person POV (Lexa Centric)** _

_**How in the hell did Callie and I not sense her approaching the house, getting in, passing everyone downstairs and getting into this office? What the actual fuck?** _

The redheaded intruder continued to gaze at Clarke completely ignoring the two territorial vampire's.

Lexa was still crouched in front of her now unconscious mate with Callie to her right. They were both growling warningly at the intruder while she continued to stare at Clarke on the floor behind them with a soft smile on her face, completely ignoring the threatening growls bouncing off the walls in the office.

Heda rattled in her mental cage, fueling Lexa's rage at an ever increasing rate as she registered the presence in the room and exactly where she'd felt the stranger before.

**This is the entity that has been lurking in the forest vassal.**

Even though the stranger was not behaving in a threatening manner her presence in the room and the power radiating off of her was oppressing not just to Lexa's vamperic senses but to Callie's as well.

"Callie, do you feel that?" Lexa said in a frequency that should only be detectable by other vampire's and few other supernatural. The irritation and alarm clearly evident in her voice was not lost on Callie.

"You feel what I allow you to feel Lexa Woods." The intruder stated while shifting her glowing blue/green eyes from Clarke's prone form to look Lexa directly in hers.

Lexa growled at her in frustration as Callie took a menacing step forward placing herself in front of Lexa and Clarke.

The door to the office flew opened and the rest of the family rushed in, eyes blackened and growling at the intruder in chorus.

She simply shifted her body over to the window and looked over the newcomers with amusement clearly evident in her eyes.

Bellamy must have read Lexa and Callie's thoughts, which alerted him to what was going on in the soundproof office.

_**Bell can you feel that?** _

He looked over to Lexa nodding his head in confirmation and judging by the look of guarded discomfort coming from Marcus and the rest of her siblings she knew that they felt it too.

The intruder chuckled lowly as her eyes shifted between Bellamy and Lexa.

"I am also blocking your gift Bellamy Blake, I recommend you stop your attempts to use it on me. It makes my brain itch and I would hate to have to retaliate." She said calmly.

_**What the fuck? She can feel us trying to use our gifts on her?** _

"I can also read your thoughts." She said airily.

"Who are you?" Callie growled out.

The woman smirked at her still not threatened even though the vampire's outnumbered her seven to one.

"I am Helena Wallace, and I am not your enemy."

Bellamy growled at her statement unwilling to take her word for it especially since he could not read her thoughts to confirm the truth.

Octavia and Marcus both flashed over to Clarke's unconscious form on the floor taking their place on either side of her body as a last line of defense in case Helena decided to try something.

"There is no need to protect Clarke from me. I would never hurt her and I will not attack any of you unless you give me reason to do so."

Callie straightened her posture and glanced over her gathered coven indicating that they should all relax.

_**Like hell!** _

"Callie, she cannot be trusted! This could be a trick to get us to let our guard down. I can't read her thoughts!" Bellamy shouted out, not willing to fall for Helena's possible deception.

_**Thanks Bell.** _

"Everyone calm down, we need to be civil and find out what she wants. Hostility will get us nowhere in this situation. Judging by the strength of her scent she is much older than all of us combined. I will not allow any of you to engage in a fight which will result in one or all of you losing your lives."

"I knew you were a smart woman Callie. Your mate and children should heed your warning. I did not come here to fight."

Callie nodded her head, "Marcus please take Clarke to Lexa's bedroom, the rest of us will adjourn to the living room, join us once she is comfortable."

Lexa's eyes shot over to Callie, "You can not be serious! We are supposed to trust her?!"

"Gona, calm yourself, she has made no aggressive move towards us or Clarke." Callie responded evenly.

Just as Marcus reached down to pick up an unconscious Clarke her eyes shot opened. They were glowing and looked exactly like Helena's.

_**What the fu—** _

Before Lexa could finish the thought Clarke jumped up and flashed over to the corner of the room eyes flashing between gold and blue/green defensively.

"Clarke… what's wrong?" Lexa tried to take a step towards her but she growled at the vampire.

She actually growled, loud enough for it to be felt all around the room.

Lexa's eyes widened in shock, she stopped her forward progress and stood perfectly still.

Marcus being the closest one to her took a step forward to try to calm the blonde down, Clarke's heart was racing as her eyes moved around the room taking in her surroundings.

Before he could reach her she launched herself at him moving faster than any of them had ever seen a mortal move.

Just as she was about to collide with Marcus' body Helena suddenly appeared in front of the irate blonde firmly wrapping her arms around her torso.

"Be still! It's okay; they will not hurt you."

As the words left Helena's mouth Clarke's body relaxed into her embrace and the glow in her blue/green eyes dimmed.

"…Helene…" She said softly, her eyes shimmering as she looked over the woman's face.

"Yes." Helena responded moving some of Clarke's hair behind her ear and stroking her cheek lovingly.

Heda growled with jealousy in Lexa's mind.

**Vassal get her away from our mate!**

Lexa was about to flash over to them and rip her mate away from the intruder but her would-be attack was halted when Callie anticipated her movement and placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

The older vampire continued to watch Helena embrace Clarke. It was clear that she was in deep thought trying to decipher what she was observing.

Lexa looked at Callie like she'd betrayed her but she simply shook her head wordlessly.

The irritated vampire looked back over to Helena and her mate just in time to see Clarke bury her face in the stranger's shoulder taking in huge pulls of her scent.

Heda reared her head and bristled at the action once again.

Lexa growled at the intimate exchange and if it weren't for Callie's steady grip on her shoulder she would have launched herself at Helena regardless of the possible consequences to her continued existence.

Clarke lifted her head and looked deeply into Helena's eyes, "W- what's happening to me? How are you here?" she asked softly.

"I'll explain everything; I just need to make sure you're alright first." Helena responded.

She closed her eyes stroking along the side of Clarke's face down to her neck and then onto her chest.

_**WHAT THE FUCK?! MINE!** _

Lexa tried to break free from Callie's grip feeling Heda edge towards the barrier that control her berserker ability but Callie anticipated that and instead moved behind Lexa to wrap her right arm around the younger vampire's neck in a firm chokehold.

" _Be ste Gona_! This is not the time. I will not allow anything to happen to Clarke. That is not a fight you can win, not even in your berserker state."

" _Kalie teik go gon ai_!" Lexa growled back as she reached up and attempted to pry Callie's grip away from her throat.

Callie paid Lexa's attempts to free herself no mind as she continued to observe Helena and Clarke quietly.

When Lexa redirected her attention back to her mate and the new comer she could see that Helena's hand was glowing as she ghosted it around Clarke's chest and then down to her stomach.

The woman reopened her eyes revealing that they were a rich golden color. The same color Lexa witnessed Clarke's transforming to that day in the school parking lot and then again when Clarke regained consciousness a few minutes ago.

Helena's hand stopped emitting the golden light and she scooped Clarke up into her arms bridal style holding her close to her chest before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"You're going to be okay." She said softly, smiling down at the blonde.

Just then Raven's voice boom out, "Okay! I'll be the asshole and ask; What the hell is going on here?" She didn't sound angry, just genuinely confused.

"My thoughts exactly…" Octavia grumbled lowly, the irritation was clearly evident in her voice. She clearly didn't like Clarke being so close to Helena either.

Helena ignored all the vampires and made her way toward the office door with Clarke still clutched to her chest while the blonde clung to her like her life depended on it.

Lexa's chest tightened in fear, hurt, and betrayal as she watched the display.

A quiet sob escaped her throat and she could feel Lincoln's gift trying to push through the fog but the feelings attacking her were so overwhelming not even his gift could numb them and by then Heda was oddly quiet.

Marcus made his way over to Lexa and Callie as Helena exited the room with Clarke still in her arms. As soon as they crossed the threshold Callie loosened her grip on Lexa's neck.

"Oh Lexa…" he said softly as he pulled her away from Callie and wrapped his arms around the younger vampire. Lexa buried her face in his chest and started to dry sob.

_**She's going to take Clarke away from me, what if Clarke really isn't my true mate? What if she's Helena's mate? How do they even know each other?** _

Heda howled in pain, begging Lexa to do something.

"Will you all join Clarke and I downstairs?" Helena's voice called out.

Lexa pulled herself away from Marcus and exited the office with her family following behind her.

She felt numb as she slowly made her way down the stairs and into the living room. Clarke was sitting on one of the couches with Helena standing in the middle of the room her hands clasped behind her back.

When Lexa entered the room fully Clarke shot her a warm but hesitant smile and Helena slowly walked over to stand before the dejected vampire.

"Fear not Lexa. I am not taking your mate away from you. Clarke belongs with you and you with her. Take a seat and I will explain everything."

Lexa walked pass Helena and took a seat beside Clarke not quite able to look at her and keeping a bit of distance between them.

"Lex…" Clarke said softly as she shifted her body closer to her mate.

Lexa looked up at her feeling completely drained.

Clarke reached over and took a hold of the vampire's hand stroking it with her thumb.

She glanced down at their joined hands before looking into her mate's eyes seeing regret etched across her face.

"I'm sorry I growled at you… I wasn't myself…" Clarke said slowly.

Callie took a seat in the armchair close to the pair as Marcus stood beside it and placed his hand on her shoulder while they both regarded the interaction between the younger couple.

Bellamy and Raven took a seat on the other couch, both of them keeping their eyes on Helena clearly still guarded and waiting for her to try something.

Lincoln was leaning against one of the walls off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest as he also kept his eyes on the woman in the center of the room and Octavia took a seat on the other side of Clarke lowly growling at Helena.

"You can stop growling at me Octavia. I respect your urge to protect Clarke but you do not want to aggravate me."

Octavia scoffed and turned her attention to Clarke. Her eyes softened as she looked at girl.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine O. She didn't hurt me." Clarke responded offering the skeptical vampire a reassuring smile.

Callie cleared her throat getting everyone's attention.

"Helena, would you mind explaining to us what you are doing here, and what just happened between you and Clarke?" She asked curiosity ringing in her voice.

Helena looked over at her and nodded.

"It would be best if we start this off with Clarke sharing the dreams she's been having." She looked over to the blonde and nodded encouraging her to speak.

Lexa glanced at her mate curiously prompting Clarke to give her hand a firm squeeze before speaking.

"Back in the office, after Helena appeared I saw a painting..."

Callie chimed in, "Yes, it's a painting of the Triad Kings and Queen."

Before Callie could continue Clarke spoke up, "Cage, Thelonious and Indra."

Everyone in the room, with the exception of Helena, let out a collective gasp.

"Clarke, how do you know who they are?" Lexa asked completely bewildered as to how her mate could have possibly known their names when none of them had ever mentioned the Triad ruler's by name in Clarke's presence.

"…I've been having some strange dreams lately. Dreams about them, and Helena…" she said carefully.

Clarke turned her body slightly to look at her mate, "The first dream I had happened the night after you and I first… made love and you fed from me."

"What was the dream about?" Lexa asked.

"I was on a ship, and I witnessed a conversation between Helena and her father about Thelonious and her brother Cage."

Everyone gasped again and looked over to Helena who had her eyes trained on Clarke while she continued to smile serenely.

_**She's Cage's sister?** _

Lexa looked over to Bellamy and everyone else in the room. They were all equally as shocked. But Callie seemed to be even more affected. Lexa could practically see the wheels turning in the older vampire's head.

"…in the dream they were not aware of my presence and it seemed like I was simply there to be a spectator to the events that were about to unfold. I was drawn to follow them down to the bottom of the ship where the cabins were. When we got down there I could hear screaming coming from one of the rooms. We went in and Thelonious was on a bed thrashing around in pain while Cage was huddled in the corner rocking back and forth muttering about 'not meaning to'. When I turned back to look over to the bed Thelonious was completely still and the screaming had stopped. Cage thought he killed him but a few seconds later Thelonious shot up, his eyes wide and the same bright red color as Cage's. Then the dream went black and I woke up in a panic."

Clarke waited while all of that sank in for everyone. When no one attempted to ask anything she continued.

"The second dream was a little different… I was in a pasture wondering around when I heard growling. I followed the sound and found Thelonious feeding on someone. As the dream progressed I found out that the person he was feeding on was Indra, and she was his mate. Helena, Cage and their father were also in the dream. When Indra started to scream in pain they all took off…"

Clarke then looked up at Helena, "…But you stayed behind. In the dream before this one no one was aware that I was there but you were looking directly at me. Like you could see me standing there… then you said, 'soon Clarke' and I doubled over in pain curling up in the fetal position clutching at my stomach… how did you know I was there?" she asked.

Helena smirked at her, "I was not actually present for the events that took place in your second dream, but I will explain…"

Lexa looked over at Clarke, shocked that all of this was happening with her mate and she had no idea. Clarke had mentioned having strange dreams but she never wanted to talk about them. Lexa figured they weren't of any importance but clearly that was not the case.

"Clarke, why didn't you tell me about all of this when I asked you about your dreams?" She asked a little hurt that she didn't feel like she could confide in her.

Clarke looked guilty and a little confused.

Helena quickly spoke up, "I can explain that. Clarke was bond, by me, not to share these dreams with anyone until the time was right."

"You've had contact with Clarke before this?" Callie asked.

"No, but my connection with her allows me to enter her mind and will her to do things subconsciously. I used that connection and ability to calm her down in your office."

_**That doesn't sit well with me.** _

Bellamy growled in agreement. Lexa looked over to him and she could see that he was once again trying to reach into Helena's mind.

Just as Lexa realized what he was trying to do Bellamy collapsed onto the floor clutching at his head screaming in pain. Raven followed right after him cradling his head trying to figure out what was going on.

Helena fixed her gaze on the curled up mind reader.

"I warned you not to test me boy. Do not try to invade my mind again!" She growled out as her eyes flashed between its normal glowing blue/green to that intense gold again.

Marcus flashed over to Bellamy and Raven kneeling down between them before taking a firm hold of Bellamy's thrashing upper body.

"Please stop!" He shouted out.

Helena's eyes shifted from Bellamy onto Marcus before they softened and she let go of whatever hold she had on the young vampire.

Once Bellamy recovered fully they returned to their seats on the couch and Marcus placed a protective hand on his shoulder as he eyed Helena defensively.

"What did you do to him?!" Raven growled curling her lips over her teeth.

Helena shrugged her shoulders, "I simply reversed the energy his gift attempted to wrap around my mind and directed it back at him. I warned the boy not to try reading my thoughts. As I said before, it makes my brain itch and I do not enjoy the feeling."

"I apologize for my son Helena, he is simply worried about your intentions. He isn't used to being locked out of someone's mind. Even with Clarke he can pick up her thoughts every now and then but no one has ever been able to block him out completely." Callie explained.

"I mean no disrespect Callie. This is your home and your coven. That being said, he should not try to do that again. The being I share my body with will not tolerate another intrusion."

"Understood." After saying this Callie shot a warning look in Bellamy's direction.

Octavia chose that moment to speak up, "Is anyone going to ask why she smells faintly like Clarke? I mean they don't smell exactly alike but her scent has that same alluring appeal that Clarke's does."

"I was wondering about that…" Callie muttered, the wheels starting to spin in her head again.

"I will pick up where Clarke left off. I am the daughter of Dante and Eliza Wallace and twin sister of Cage Wallace leader of the vampire Triad. My brother and I are the first of our kind…"

_**Cage and Helena were the first vampire's?** _

"I am not a vampire Lexa. My brother is; he is the first and only born vampire."

"What exactly are you?" Lexa asked anxious to find out why she seems to be able to detect and block gifts as well as being able to bypass their senses.

"I'm a mimic and I share my body with another being. This being is the one responsible for my immortality and the mimic ability. The best way for me to explain my origin is to simply show you…"

_**That means there's no telling exactly how many different abilities she actually has...** _

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**person POV (Clarke Centric)** _

As Helena finished her statement Clarke could feel a tingling sensation crawling up her back and blanketing her head. She looked around the room and could see that everyone else, with the exception of Helena, were experiencing the same strange sensation.

She looked over to Helena whose eyes began to glow gold again as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

**(Shared vision sequence)**

_**Clarke was being pulled towards a glowing castle perched atop a high mountain above the clouds; it was as if she was flying.** _

_**As she approached the castle her body floated down to a beautiful balcony made completely of gold with columns that were illuminated in pure white light.** _

_**When she landed on her feet the ground beneath her shook. She looked to her left where she found the source of the disturbance in the form of a gorgeous blonde woman with pure gold eyes. She was dressed in all gold, wearing a gold crown and carrying an impressively large and intricately designed sword that emitted a blue glow. The sword appeared to be giving off some sort of electricity which caused Clarke to instinctively take a step back.** _

_**The woman stood from her crouched position as the blue electric light in her sword faded. She sheathed it behind her back under her cape and walked into the castle her presence radiating confidence and power as she moved with a lethal grace.** _

_**Clarke was drawn to follow her by some kind of magnetic force, so she didn't resist. As they entered what seemed to be a throne room she continued to walk towards the massive golden throne placed at the top of a flight of stairs.** _

_**The woman dropped to one knee at the base of the stairs and bowed her head as Clarke came to stand beside her. She then rose to her feet and looked up to the throne at the top of the stairs.** _

_**Sitting on the throne was an older looking man that also exudes an overwhelming amount of power. He had long brown hair, a full brown beard, and the same pure gold eyes as the blonde woman standing beside Clarke. He was dressed in a glowing silver suit of armor with a long shimmering silver cape.** _

" _ **Father, I bring word." The woman said.**_

" _ **What is it Athena?"**_

" _ **Hades creates a new race of creatures. He calls them The Children of the Moon. They are volatile and take the form of a monstrous wolf that can walk on its hind legs while the full moon is high in the night sky. On the night of the full moon these monsters are uncontrollable and they crave the flesh of mortals."**_

_**She shook her head as was clearly recalling the brutality of the beasts in question.** _

" _ **They walk in human skin among your mortal children during the day completed undetectable. The power the Beasts hold during the full moon cannot be rivaled by men and even in the light of day they hold God like strength in both their human and wolf forms."**_

" _ **What does my brother hope to accomplish by creating these creatures?" He asked standing from his thrown and making his way down the stairs to stand before Athena.**_

" _ **He seeks to use these beasts to rule over the mortals. If something is not done he will succeed, the balance of power in the mortal realm has been tipped in favor of darkness and the scale must be rebalanced before it's too late."**_

_**Just then a bright light appeared in the center of the room behind Clarke. When it dimmed three women were kneeling before them.** _

_**The one on the left held a spool of yarn in her hand. The one in the middle a piece of yarn from the spool running through her fingers and the third held the end of yarn in her right hand a pair of scissors in her left.** _

" _ **Moirai…" Athena said.**_

" _ **Zeus, we come with a solution." The three women said in unison.**_

_**Zeus stepped forward.** _

" _ **Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos" He addressed each from left to right.**_

" _ **You know of the plan Hades has set into motion?"**_

" _ **We do." They all answered.**_

_**Athena moved to stand beside her father.** _

" _ **And what do the Fates have as a solution?" She asked.**_

" _ **We see that Hades' actions will sever the lives of many well before their thread has ended." The one named Lachesis answered.**_

" _ **The scale must be balanced." The one called Atropos added.**_

_**Zeus contemplated their words glancing between the women and Athena.** _

" _ **And what do you suggest we do?" Zeus asked.**_

_**The three women exchanged glances before turning their gazes back to the two Gods.** _

_**Clotho stood from her kneeling position and her eyes began to glow white.** _

" _ **We see that a creature must be created to reveal the Beast. It must be powered and guided by the Gods in order to balance the scale of good and evil. Godchild able to walk in the realm of the living must also be created to lead this creature and those like it or the fate of man will be undone."**_

_**Her eyes stopped glowing and she returned to her kneeling position beside the other two women.** _

" _ **Do the Fates know of a human who is fit to be the herald and hand of the Gods?" Zeus asked.**_

" _ **We do." All three replied.**_

" _ **Where can this human be found?" Athena asked.**_

" _ **The mortal king Dante and his Queen Eliza will conceive tonight. She will give birth to a son and a daughter. The son holds the will to be your creature. It must be done upon conception on this night. This is our solution." They chorused ominously.**_

_**With that said all three women disappeared in a ball of silver light.** _

_**Zeus turned to Athena.** _

" _ **As the Goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defense and strategic warfare I turn to you for counsel." He said, looking at his daughter with pride. It was evident that he was confident in her ability to carry out the task.**_

" _ **I will go to the human king tonight father. I know of him, he is a noble man who is pure of heart and firm in will. I will enter his Queen's womb during conception, create your creature within his son to balance the scale, and bond my soul and mind to the daughter in order to watch over the child." Athena confidently declared.**_

" _ **And what of the Godchild?" Zeus asked.**_

" _ **At the moment I am unsure of how to accomplish that particular task. I believe it is something that can be put into motion at a later time."**_

" _ **Very well, you will be missed here on Olympus. Be safe and I will be in contact through our link."**_

_**Zeus placed his right hand on Athena's shoulder and Clarke could feel some kind of power transferring between the two of them.** _

" _ **Thank you Father."**_

_**Clarke's surroundings faded away replaced by an extravagant bedchamber.** _

_**The room was illuminated by many candles giving her a clear view of the four poster bed in the corner. Moonlight shining in through the window offered additional lighting that revealed Dante and a redheaded woman making love.** _

_**Athena crossed over to the bed and stood over them, it appeared that they were not aware of her presence even though the woman underneath Dante had her eyes open staring in Athena's direction with a look of pleasure on her face.** _

_**Athena's body began to glow a golden color, as it shimmered she blurred into a cloud of gold dust hovering over Dante and the woman.** _

" _ **I love you Eliza." Dante declared at the height of his passion.**_

_**The dust cloud settled onto Dante's back, moving through him and traveling into his queen.** _

_**Their skin lit up in a golden hue briefly before reverting back to its natural color but neither one of them seemed to have noticed the light.** _

_**Clarke's surroundings then faded to black.** _

**(End of vision sequence)**

When she regained consciousness the glowing gold light in Helena's eyes had started to fade back to the eerie glowing blue/green she'd gotten used to.

Clarke glanced around the room and saw that the vampires were blinking rapidly and shaking their heads clearly disoriented from the shared vision.

"So you're Athena?" Marcus asked.

Helena smiled gently in response to his question.

"Yes… and no. I am Helena, but I am also the vessel of the Goddess Athena."

Noticing the confusion around the room she elaborated.

"The Gods cannot walk among mortals in their true form. In order to interact with those on this plain they must find a vessel to host their God forms, and even then it is unheard of for a God to inhabit a moral body for as long as Athena has been inhabiting mine. When she entered my mother's womb while my brother and I were being conceived she used the power gifted to her by Zeus to turn Cage into the very first vampire and as a side effect the energy exerted for that process turned my father into an immortal as well. She then bonded herself to my human soul in order to share my body and watch over us."

Clarke looked around at everyone and they all had variations of shock, and amazement painted on their faces.

"Athena is a very powerful Goddess with her being bonded to my soul I also became immortal. In order to adapt and ensure her survival while she slumbers I developed the talent to copy the abilities of any supernatural being that I come into contact with." Helena explained.

_**That's an amazing gift.** _

"Is that why you can sense us using our gifts on you and block them? And is it also why we could not sense your presence entering the house." Lexa asked.

Helena looked over at Lexa before answering the question, "That is a part of it. But I do not have the ability to sense the use of gifts, the credit for that goes to Athena."

Lexa nodded in understanding.

"While Cage and I were in the womb Athena was awake using her connection with Zeus and the other Gods on Mount Olympus and through that connection Cage and I were able to learn everything that we needed to know about the supernatural world. On the night of our birth, our mother died after delivering me. It seems that her human body was not strong enough to give birth to a vessel housing such a powerful being especially after giving birth to a vampire."

Helena was silent for a beat and Clarke could sense that she was probably fighting back the emotions that surrounding what was clearly a touchy subject for her.

"Athena exerted a massive amount of power during the delivery to ensure my survival and it cost my mother her life which also resulted in Athena slipping into a deep sleep. Because I shared the womb with Cage I was able to take on all of his vampiric qualities using my mimic ability. This was enough to ensure that even in Athena's slumber I would be able to protect myself and her without any problems."

"That's fascinating…" Callie mused, "To untrained senses you would easily pass as one of us."

"Is Athena still in slumber right now?" Clarke asked.

"No, Athena awoke from her slumber a few years after Cage, Thelonious, my father and I fled our home but she was weak. A little over 300 years after that Thelonious found his mate in a young girl who is now known as Indra. We choose to plant roots in her homeland so he could watch over her until she came of age. Cage had gained enough control over his thirst and his beast so he and I journeyed out into the world to explore while Thelonious watched over the girl. After a few years of traveling together we decided to go our separate ways to find our own paths. It was during this time that Athena regained all of her strength and spoke to me for the first time since my time in the womb."

"What did she say to you?" Clarke asked completely captivated by the tale.

"She told me to travel to Greece, to Mount Parnassus and seek of the Oracle of Delphi. When I arrived in Delphi the Pythia at the time was expecting me. She entered a trance like state and told me that my bloodline would give birth to the Godchild that would lead the vampire's in a battle against Hades and his Children of the Moon. She also told me the name of the mortal man who would be the father of my child. I left Delphi in search of him; Athena seduced him resulting in the conception of my first and only child. After I gave birth to a girl that I named Gia Athena knew that she was not a Demigod and not the Godchild that the prophecy spoke of."

"But I thought you said that the Oracle led you to the man who would be the father of this Godchild." Lincoln chimed in.

"Yes, that was exactly how I interpreted her words. But what she actually said was that my 'bloodline' would give birth to the Godchild, not necessarily me." Helena corrected.

"How long ago was this?" Callie said.

"Gia was born 2500 years ago, 5 years after her birth Hades stole her from me." Helena answered somberly.

_**Damn…** _

"Did he kill her?" Raven asked anxiously, the vampire looked like a little girl being told an intense bedtime story.

"No. He hid her somewhere in this world, I could still feel that she was alive, but I could not find her no matter how far I searched…"

"So you've been searching for her for the last 2495 years, wasn't she human? Wouldn't she have died of old age like 2400 years ago give or take?" Octavia pipped in.

"Gia died at the age of 86. I felt it when her spirit extinguish from the realm of the living which prompted me to return to Delphi for answers. The Pythia told me that Gia had two sons and a daughter but she would not tell me where they could be found. I've spent the last 2414 years looking for my descendants and it wasn't until 2 weeks ago that I felt something draw me to America, to this town…"

Helena then turned and looked right into Clarke's eyes.

"…to you Clarke." She finished.

_**Say what now?!** _

"Huh? W-why me?" Clarke asked dumbly.

"You and your mother are the only living descendants of my daughter Gia."

Gasps erupted around the room.

_**We seem to be doing that a lot today…** _

When the news finally sunk in and everyone collected themselves Callie spoke up.

"If you couldn't sense any of your descendants after Gia died and you didn't sense Clarke right when she was born, why did you start to sense her all of a sudden two weeks ago?"

_**That's a damn good question.** _

"Think back Clarke, what happened 13 days ago?" Helena asked, but Clarke could see in her eyes that she already knew the answer.

The blonde mulled over her question briefly until she felt Lexa stiffen beside her.

Helena's eyes drifted over to Lexa.

"Yes," She said to her before turning back to Clarke.

And that's when it dawned on the blonde.

"I met Lexa… we touched… and Heda formed the bond."

"Am I the only one that's lost?" Raven asked in bewilderment.

"Yes." Bellamy answered in amusement.

"Well would anyone like to enlighten me?" Raven sounded genuinely offended that she was being left out of whatever realization was beginning to settle around the room.

Helena gave the room a once over before answering Raven's inquiry.

"When Lexa's Beast came into physical contact with Clarke it activated her dormant Demigod gene. Everyone born from my bloodline carried the gene, but it would remain dormant until it was passed onto the one who would become the prophesied Godchild."

Clarke's jaw dropped and Raven's followed.

"But if Clarke is the Godchild, would you not have sensed her as soon as she came into being?" Marcus asked.

"Fate is not always linear and things don't always go to plan. Athena surmised that Clarke's Demigod gene needed a jumpstart. Lexa is Clarke's True Mate; they were mated the day that Lexa was reborn as a vampire. Only her Beast would have been able to give Clarke's dormant gene the energy it needed to start her transformation. As soon as they touched I felt it and was drawn to them; to Clarke."

"Wow… that's some epic shit right there." Raven breathed out in awe.

Raven then turned her attention to Clarke.

"So Gryffindor, you're supposed to save the world huh? How's that feel? You're like a full blown superhero now." Raven exclaimed.

Clarke was still in shock and trying to wrap her mind around the recent revelation.

_**All of this is too much…**_ _**I'm just Clarke; I can't do any of this…**_

"She's feeling overwhelmed." Lincoln spoke up as he eyed the human fully prepared to assist with his ability if need be.

Helena walked over to where Lexa, Octavia and Clarke were sitting on the couch and crouched down in front of the blonde taking Clarke's free hand in hers.

"There is no need to worry, you will not be doing this alone, and you are stronger than you realize. You will become even stronger with our help. Athena and I will be here with you every step of the way. You are my descendant by blood, but you are Athena's daughter by essence and we will not abandon you. Not when we've finally found you."

Clarke nodded her head as she looked into Helena's eyes watching them turn pure gold before returning to the natural glowing blue/green color that she now realized mirrored her own perfectly. During the shift Clarke felt a warm energy blanket her body and she subconsciously welcomed it.

_**What was that?** _

"That was Athena." Helena answered.

"It will take time, but she is trying to form a bond with you that will allow us to communicate with each other no matter how far apart we are. It will also enable you to find us no matter where we are." She stated.

Helena and Clarke continued to gaze at each other, Clarke searching for familiarity and truth in the ancients' words and Helena trying to offer silent reassurance.

"Helena do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?" Callie asked.

Helena kept her eyes locked with Clarke as she responded.

"Of course; I can hear the many thoughts running through your mind. You are a very curious woman." She released Clarke's hand stood up and returned to the center of the room.

"Thank you, I will take that as a complement." Callie smiled.

"And it was meant as such."

Helena gestured for the vampire to voice her questions out loud.

"Is Clarke's Demigod status responsible for the rapid progression of the bonding between herself and Lexa? And why she has responded so quickly and intensely to the side effects of the blood replenishment tablets?"

_**I'm curious to know the answer to all that as well.** _

"Yes, for the most part it is responsible for the rapid bonding between herself and Lexa, but the blood replenishment tablets and its' main ingredient are only partially responsible for her rapidly increasing senses. Athena's close proximity to her over the last two weeks is responsible for that."

"Can you elaborate on that?" Callie asked.

"If Lexa's Beast didn't need to feed on Clarke to survive, which would then eliminate the need for the blood replenishment pills, Clarke's senses, speed and strength would still have increased after coming into physical contact with her True Mate. Her Demigod gene is now active as a result of her contact with Lexa, and Demigods are in essences stronger, faster and have better senses than the average human because they are half God. Clarke's senses, speed and strength would have gradually increased over time without the help of the tablets because of this but with Athena's presence being in such close proximity after the gene was activated the process has been expedited."

Callie nodded in understanding.

"You said that the blood replenishment tablets still play a part in her abnormal development over the last 2 weeks because of its main ingredient, would you mind telling me what that ingredient is and how it affects Clarke?"

_**Callie is just full of questions. But thank god for her because they are questions that we need answers to.** _

"The main ingredient in the blood replenishment tablet is immortal blood. My father Dante's blood. It is the active ingredient in the pill, and it is what allows for the cloning of blood cells. His blood is also responsible for the dreams that Clarke has been having, they are his blood memories. Other human that take the tablets do not get these dreams because they do not share our bloodline."

_**That explains why Dante was present during both dreams, I was reliving his memories. But…** _

"If I was reliving Dante's memories and seeing everything he saw, how did you speak to me in my last dream? And how did you know my name if that dream happened before you left to seek out the Oracle of Delphi?" Clarke asked.

"As I mentioned earlier, I was not actually present for the events you witnessed in that dream. One of my acquired gifts is that of a dreamwalker it gives me the ability to enter a person's dream and alter it. I was outside this house while you were sleeping and I entered your dream to speak to you. I've been very close to you and Lexa both over the last 2 weeks. I needed to be sure that you were safe with the vampire's."

She then looked around the room before her eyes settled on Marcus and Callie, "I am very happy that Clarke's mate found you all and call you family, you've taken very good care of them both. Athena and I will forever be grateful to you."

Callie and Marcus both smiled brightly.

… _ **Wait a minute… she's been watching everything? What about when Lexa and I were-? Oh God…**_

Clarke blushed crimson as the thought crossed her mind and Lexa must have figured out what she was mortified about because she was barely holding back a sly smile as she glanced over at her embarrassed mate.

Bellamy let out a chuckle at Clarke choppy thoughts while he whispered in Raven's ear low enough so that no one else in the room would be able to hear him.

Helena focused on Clarke, amusement written all over her face before setting her mind at ease.

"No Clarke, we did not watch your intimate exchanges with your mate. That would have been awkward, even for us."

Raven erupted in laughter almost making the windows in the living room shake.

"That's fucking hilarious! prepare yourself for an abundance of awkward moments in the future because the two plan to do it often." She hollered out before Octavia got up, flashed over and slapped the still laughing vampire firmly in the back of the head.

Raven recoiled immediately and threw her hand up to block any additional blows Octavia might through her way.

"What? It's not like we all can't hear what they get up to." She said defensively with a pout on her face.

Clarke sighed deeply before addressing the room, "Can we not talk about my sex life please?"

Raven went back to chuckling lightly once she was sure that Octavia wouldn't hit her again but gestured to Clarke that she wouldn't embarrass her any further. She then directed her focus to Helena who was still standing in the center of the room.

"So Helena; why do you and Clarke smell so good?" she asked.

"What you are all smelling is Athena inside of me and the Demigod gene inside of Clarke. Gods have a very alluring scent that draws not only humans in but also other supernaturals. It is how I have been able to get close enough to beings with abilities and acquire the majority of my gifts."

At this Lexa immediately perked up.

"Is it you that's been stalking me in the woods?" She suddenly asked wanting to confirm Heda's initial realization.

"Yes." Helena answered simply.

"You sniffed me." Lexa huffed out, "Why?"

Helena smirked before answering, "I've been very curious about the berserker. They are a rare breed and it's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of coming into contact with one. Your berserker gene is especially potent." She then shrugged unapologetically, "I couldn't help myself."

Lincoln took immediate interest, having always been curious about his mate and sister's active berserker gene in comparison to his dormant one.

"You've met others like Lexa and O?" he asked excitedly.

"No, I've never come into contact with a berserker turned vampire before but I have heard rumors of their existence over the centuries. They are two things that probably should never be mixed." She then eyed both Octavia and Lexa appreciatively, "The fact that you are both able to keep control of both your berserker and vampire beast speaks volumes about your will power."

Octavia's chest puffed out proudly and Lexa sat up a little straighter at the praise.

Lexa then remember all the instances that she'd been able to almost sense Helena while she'd been stalking her in the woods.

"How was I able to sense you occasionally? It was like one minute you were there and the next you weren't." She asked in confusion.

"You were able to sense me because I let down my cloak briefly allowing you to."

"Why did you do that? Did you want me to know you were watching me" Lexa asked.

"Actually, no. The drawback to the teleportation ability that I acquired is that I cannot teleport while cloaked so I need to turn off my cloaking ability before I can teleport and reactivate it once I arrived to my destination. You sensed me briefly when I arrived in your location and you sensed me again when I deactivated the cloak to teleport away from you." Helena explained.

"That's awesome! You can teleport?! You're officially my hero." Raven exclaimed while practically jumping around like a child. It was also clear that even Bellamy was a little excited by the revelation.

Callie then spoke up cutting off any other questions Raven could ask.

"Okay, I think that is enough for now. I'm certain Clarke would like to take some time to absorb all of this before we continue with any more discussions."

Clarke smiled at Callie gratefully because she really couldn't handle any more information. The revelation that she's a Demigod was enough for one day.

"Helena, where have you been staying when you aren't watching over Clarke?" Marcus asked.

"I've been staying at a hotel in the neighboring city but I'm hardly ever there. I only require a few hours of sleep every few days and most of the time I spend in the room consists of teleporting back for an hour or so three to four times a day to eat; being a vessel for a God and constantly using my cloaking ability means that I have to eat larger than normal meals frequently to replenish my energy." As an afterthought she glanced over to Clarke before addressing both Marcus and Callie, "Clarke's appetite will be increasing over the next few days as she continues to adjust and gains strength, it would probably be best for her to eat most of her meals here to avoid suspicion from her mother and father."

Callie nodded having already noticed that Clarke had been able to put away larger portions of food as the days progressed. She'd chalked it up to the blood replenishing tablets and yet another abnormal side effect surrounding the mysteries of what made Clarke what she is.

"Well now that we are all acquainted that simply will not do. You should stay here with us. We have plenty of room, and it would be a pleasure to have someone else to cook for apart from Clarke. This way you will be close to her and you won't have to remain cloaked all the time." Callie offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't impose on your coven."

"Nonsense, Clarke is a part of this coven and you are family to her in every sense of the word. Your place is here with us. Besides, your brother Cage is a close friend of mine so we won't take no for an answer." Callie stated.

Helena smiled graciously.

"I actually have not been in contact with my brother in over 2500 years, but if you insist I will take you both up on your offer."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave them? And come to think of it, I spent a few decades with Cage and the triad but I never met or saw Dante."

"It was necessary to go in search of my lost child without Cage and my father, they both had a role to play in the vampire world. Cage was created to create other vampires as Hades continued to create Children of the Moon. He also needed to lord over the vampire's race until the Godchild is ready to take over that role. My father needed to stay with him, Athena knew that he would be able to guide Cage and make sure that he did not fall prey to darkness. They would not have been able to fulfill their roles if they were following me around the world chasing after ghosts."

Callie nodded in understanding.

"As for your last statement; if I know my brother, I'm sure that there are very few that know about the existence of our father. It's my guess that the only ones that have an audience with him are Thelonious, Indra, and those in their inner circle." She explained.

After a beat realization dawned on Callie, "Is Dante responsible for the creation of the Blood Replenishment tablets?" She asked.

Helena nodded in confirmation.

"Yes he is, Athena has been keeping an eye on Dante and Cage through her connection with the other Gods and she was able to find out that Dante and Thelonious created the tablets after there was an increase of vampire's finding their mates in humans. There was a period of time when a large number mated human's died from blood loss which then resulted in their vampire mates seeking the true death out of guilt and inescapable grief. So it became imperative that something be done to ensure the survival of human mates after feedings."

"This is all very fascinating. After you've collected your belongings, would you mind if we retired to my office so I can ask you some more questions, I feel that we can learn a great deal from you." Callie ventured.

Helena tipped her head in agreement.

"Of course, there are a number of matters that I need to discuss with you anyway, so that will not be a problem."

"Okay, now that that is all settled if no one has any other questions I believe this meeting is over." Callie said looking around the room to see if anyone had anything to add.

Bellamy and Raven were the first to leave, they both flashed out of the house into the backyard presumably to go see their mate's and Octavia and Lincoln then ascended the stairs to head to their bedroom.

"I'm going to go start getting dinner ready for Clarke and Helena." Callie declared before placing a kiss on Marcus' cheek. She then flashed off to the kitchen.

Clarke turned her attention to Lexa realizing that she was so distracted and overwhelmed with everything that was thrown her way she'd barely paid her mate any attention over the last hour.

For the most part Lexa had been sitting quietly next to Clarke holding her hand and only chancing a few glances her mates' way every now and then.

"Can we go somewhere to talk?" Clarke asked her using her free hand to turn the sullen vampire's face towards her.

"Of course hodnes." Lexa responded while offering Clarke a small smile and giving her hand a tentative squeeze.

Helena and Marcus watched the interaction between the mated pair noticing the slight tension between them.

"I'll be in Callie's office when you return Helena." Marcus stated.

Helena tipped her head in understanding before he disappeared up the stairs and Lexa and Clarke followed the ancient out the front door.

When they were all outside Helena turned around to look over them both, "How are you feeling Clarke?" she asked.

Clarke tore her eyes away from her mate to look at the woman who'd just rocked the foundation of her existence.

"I'm still a little shocked about all of this… I mean it's not every day someone finds out that they're a Demigod and their meant to save the world…"

"I understand," Helena stated offering the blonde a reassuring smile before walking over to them placing one hand on Clarke's shoulder and the other on Lexa's.

"Athena and I are here for you both," she then looked over at Lexa, "I apologize for the misunderstanding in your Mother's office, I was simply making sure that Clarke was alright. You are her True Mate and you are just as important to us as she is. If anything were to happen to either of you the other would not survive. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are both safe until Clarke is strong enough to look after herself and you."

Helena said all of this with such warmth and sincerity, Clarke still didn't really know her but she couldn't stop herself from trusting the woman. She could feel the bond between them growing by the second and she welcomed it just as easily as she welcomed the bond that she and Lexa formed.

Clarke stepped forward and wrapped her free arm around Helena and could feel Lexa doing the same. They embraced for what felt like hours as Clarke felt that same warm energy blanket her entire being alerting her to Athena reaching out again.

_**Mother…** _

The energy surged briefly with that thought settling in Clarke's chest and stomach.

They both stepped out of Helena's embrace and the woman smiled at them while her eyes quickly flashed from glowing blue/green to pure gold and then back again.

"I'll see you both later; you need some time to yourselves." She said before her body started to emit shimmering silver lights then vanishing.

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**person POV (Lexa Centric)** _

When Lexa embraced Helena she could feel something pushing at her mind.

Heda bristled briefly and Lexa's first instinct was to resist, but it felt safe and right somehow.

So she welcomed it and surprisingly so did Heda.

**We will accept this bond Vassal. She is worthy.**

Helena smelt like a multitude of wonderful things, it made the vampire feel completely at ease. Her scent was far more complex than any Lexa had ever encountered and as she tried to dissect the different facets of it she could pick out that same alluring smell Clarke's scent held that they now knew to be the God gene.

Helena's most prominent scent was that of sweet cream and roses, but underneath that Lexa could also make out Clarke's strawberry and lilac scent. Under that scent she could detect apples and cinnamon but the core of her scent was the God gene and it was what drew her in and settled her nerves.

Lexa felt oddly relaxed and at peace in Helena's arms, it was almost as good as being wrapped up in Clarke's arms.

_**She smells almost as good as Clarke, without the sexual undertone…** _

She stepped out of Helena's embrace the same time that Clarke did and immediately missed the contact.

Helena smiled at them and Lexa watched as the woman's eyes quickly flashed pure gold before returning to its natural glowing blue/green.

"I'll see you both later; you need some time to yourselves." As she finished speaking her body started to glow in a silver shimmering light and she vanished.

_**Raven's right, that's pretty awesome.** _

"Can we go talk now?" Clarke asked tearing her eyes away from the spot where Helena stood moments ago.

Now that they were alone Lexa could hear the exhaustion and worry heavy in her mate's voice.

She nodded and scooped the blonde up into her arms before shooting off in the direction or their spot in the woods.

When they got there she sat down on the forest floor at the base of the giant tree in the clearing with Clarke in her lap and her arms wrapped around Lexa's neck.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this Lexa… I don't even know what I'm supposed to do," she whispered as she buried her head into Lexa neck and took some deep breaths.

"I know Hodnes, it is a lot to take in, but I'm here for you, we will get through all of this together, I promise." Lexa placed a firm kiss on the top of Clarke's head, not even sure where her confidence was coming from. All she knew was that her mate would need her to be strong and she had every intention of living up to that need and expectation.

" _Ai hod yu in Leksa_."

" _Ai hod yu in seintaim Klark_. I know I cannot tell you to stop worrying, but I just want you to remember that you're not alone in all of this. Okay?"

"Okay." Clarke placed a soft kiss on Lexa's neck as she cuddled further into the vampire's body.

"I really didn't mean to growl at you like that earlier." Clarke muttered which caused Lexa to chuckle lowly.

"I know Clarke, I believe you."

"I don't know what happened when I woke up I felt this surge of energy rush through me and for a few minutes I didn't recognize anyone in the room except Helena. I didn't even recognize you…"

"Your eyes were glowing just like hers. I've seen them do that before, when you've been close to losing control of your emotions."

_**Maybe I should have asked about that…** _

"I didn't realize they did that. I wasn't myself… it was kind of like an out of body experience. I felt trapped, but powerful all at the same time." Clarke explained, sounding completely bewildered.

"Don't worry about it right now. I'm sure Helena can explain what happened when we get back to the house. Do you want to go back now?" Lexa asked her hoping that she would say no. She really wasn't ready to return to the real world she just wanted to spend some time alone with her mate after everything that had happened in the day so far.

Clarke shook her head immediately.

"No can we just stay out here for a little longer, I just want to be with you for a while…"

Lexa smiled and wrapped her arms more securely around her mate, pulling her warmth further into her cool body.

"Of course we can Hodnes, anything for you… I'm so happy I found you, even happier that you're mine."

* * *

**A/N:**

**There you have it folks! Clarke is a Demigod (Descendant of Helena/Athena) and Helena is a mimic on top of being Athena's vessel.**

**Excitement all around!**

**Also, one of my favorite 100 characters will be introduced next chapter, take a guess who it is lol. I'm super excited to get started on putting that chapter together and getting it out to you by next Friday, so keep an eye out for it.**

**Hope you enjoyed the update, I look forward to reading your reviews/comments, it took us 18 chapters and just over 123,000 words to find out what Clarke is hope I didn't disappoint!**

**Thanks for reading (^_^)**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN:**

**Alright people, it's Friday so it's update time.**

**Since I haven't done this in a while, I want to start off by thanking everyone that has commented/reviewed, followed/subscribed, and favorited/bookmarked this story so far. You guys are all awesome and it's been great reading your feedback and responding to them.**

**A lot of you hit the nail on the head for the new character introduction in this update in your reviews and comments from last chapter, so I hope you all enjoy the content. :)**

**I make no apologies for the way the character is introduced (Lupa gave me a piece of her mind when she read it though lol) it needs to be the way that it is for plot purposes so yeah… no apology (In my defense I yelled at her before I finished reading it… ~Lupa). There are also two other canon character introduced in this chapter I have no fucks to give about either of them but they need to be in the story for my future plans.**

**I'm done talking now, enjoy the update and leave us a comment/review to let us know what you think.**

* * *

_**Chapter 20** _

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**Person POV (Lexa Centric)** _

Lexa and Clarke stayed in the clearing they'd claimed as their own talking quietly about the events over the last few days as the sun began to set with Clarke still sitting in the vampire's lap.

"Are you ready to go back hodnes?"

Clarke nodded as she lifted her head from where it was nestled in the crook of Lexa's neck.

When Lexa looked into her eyes she could see unmistakable _need_ swimming in the blue/green pools. Clarke slowly leaned in and pressed her warm lips against the vampire's.

Lexa moaned at the contact while opening her mouth so Clarke could push her hot wet tongue inside. In response the blonde shifted her body around to straddle Lexa's lap; as their kiss deepened the vampire slipped her arms around her mate's waist to pull her closer.

She was so caught up in the kiss she didn't notice the new scents that invaded their sanctuary until it was too late.

"What do we have here?" a rich female voice asked.

At hearing the voice Heda immediately perked up in defense causing Lexa to jump to her feet with Clarke in her arms. She quickly set her mate on her feet and moved the blonde behind her crouching down in a defensive stance and backing Clarke up into the tree pinning her between it and her back.

Lexa's eyes faded to a deep threatening black while a possessive growl tore its way out of her chest.

**Vassal, they are a threat to Clarke. We can't fight them all off on our own**.

There were three vampires standing before them, two males and a female.

The first male off to Lexa's right had short dirty blonde hair, the second male in the middle was African American and had a bald head.

The female who'd spoken had blonde hair with dark roots that flowed around her shoulders and down her back. She was dressed in a strange assortment of clothing that looked like it was gathered from multiple different outfits, but it somehow worked for her.

All three vampires had piercing red eyes indicating their diet and they were all looking hungrily at the human that Lexa was trying to shield with her own body.

"Looks like we found you two just in time for a snack; you really should share. That human smells absolutely delicious." The blonde male said as he threw his head back and inhaled deeply through his nose, when he leveled them with his gaze again his eyes were a deep never ending black.

_**This fucker isn't going to get within two feet of Clarke.** _

Lexa let loose a warning growl as he made to take a step forward.

"Who are you?" She snapped, not taking her eyes off of him or his two companions.

He stopped his advance as Lexa continued to growl and her fangs dropped in warning.

The female and the other male kept their distance but continued to gaze at Clarke almost as though they were transfixed.

The African American one stepped forward with both of his hands raised in surrender.

_**Yeah right fucker, I'm not buying it…** _

"My name is Pike; this is Anya and her mate Emerson. We were simply passing through and thinking about stopping for a bite to eat when we caught your scent. Why don't you hand over the human and we'll be on our way. I'm sure you can find another one." He continued to advance as he spoke.

**He's getting too close. Give me control, let me dispose of all three of them.**

Lexa was almost tempted to cave to Heda's offer, but she knew that if she gave over complete control Heda wouldn't hesitate to tap into the berserker in her desperate need to insure Clarke's safety.

The vampire knew that she couldn't allow that to happen, not when the risk of harming Clarke in the process was so great.

_**No, Clarke doesn't know what to expect with the berserker. We could inadvertently hurt her if she gets in the way. We have to find another way.** _

Lexa focused all of her attention back on the still advancing vampires.

"Stay where you are, you will _**not**_ touch my Mate!"

The female started to laugh at her declaration, " _This_ human is your mate?"

Out of the corner of her eye Lexa picked up Emerson shifting his weight preparing to launch himself into her flank to get to Clarke.

"No!"

Lexa met him halfway, leaping off of the ground with both feet and planting them into his chest which caused his body to slam into the ground with a loud thud that left a man sized crater in the forest floor.

As Pike rushed over to pull her off of Emerson Anya flashed over to Clarke's side, pulling her away from the tree and pinning her arms behind her back.

Clarke finally snapped out of her shock right as Pike got a hold of Lexa's neck. The blonde's voice rang out around the clearing in desperation.

"HELENA!"

Within seconds the clearing lit up in silver light and Helena appeared between where Anya had Clarke locked in her arms and where Lexa was trying to wrestle her way out of Emerson and Pike's grip.

Helena took no time at all to assess what was happening and in less time than it took Lexa to blink, Pike was flying off of her following the loud crack of Helena's fist connecting with his chest.

Helena then grabbed both of Emerson's arms, pulled them behind his back placing her right foot between his shoulder blades and ripping his arms from their sockets.

"You BITCH!" Emerson hollered out in pain as she threw his arms off to the side, sluggish trails of almost blackened blood running down his sides.

Helena pulled Lexa up off the floor shoving the vampire behind her as her bright gold eyes remained trained between Emerson, who was writhing around on the floor in pain, and Pike, who had just regained his bearings.

Lexa pivoted around from her position pressed against Helena's back to look over to where she'd last seen Anya and Clarke. As her eyes landed on them she noticed that Anya had loosened her hold on her mate as she gazed at Helena's back.

Anya was panting and her blackened eyes swam with fear, confusion, and most prominently; lust.

_**What the fuck is up with her…?** _

Heda growled at the vampire's strange behavior but immediately understood the opportunity that it presented them.

**Now's our chance get Clarke away from her!**

Lexa used Anya's distraction to her advantage and flashed over to where she was standing with Clarke in front of her. She quickly pulled her mate onto her back and ran back over to Helena.

Anya didn't even flinch at the movement, instead keeping her eyes fixed on Helena who had yet to focus on her.

Lexa watched as Pike appeared beside Emerson with both of his limbs gathered in his arms.

"I will give you all one chance to leave this place with your lives. If you do not, I will tear you apart without a second thought." Helena said this in the most haunting and powerful voice Lexa had ever heard, the malice that laced her words sent a shiver up her spine.

Just then Lexa heard a soft whimper behind her where Anya was still standing gazing at Helena.

The woman turned her head slightly to see what was going on behind her.

When her eyes landed on Anya they flashed back to her normal glowing blue/green as she let out a gasp.

_**Okay…** _

"Anya let's go, this human isn't worth it." Pike said as he started to help Emerson up to his feet.

Anya made no move to leave, nor did she break eye contact with Helena.

"A-an… ya…" Emerson stammered out still in pain, and completely arm-less as the sluggish blood flow continued to drench the sides of his shirt in darkly colored vampire blood.

She still didn't move.

All of sudden Helena was standing directly in front of the transfixed vampire; they gazed at each other for a long minute before Anya whimpered again and began to purr.

Her purring was loud enough to be heard all around the clearing.

_**Is Helena doing something to her?** _

Helena brought her right hand up to Anya's face and caressed her cheek. The vampire's eyes fluttered shut and her body sagged into Helena's waiting arms.

Helena then said something that caused both Lexa and Clarke to gasp in shock.

" _Mate_ … I've found you…" As the words left Helena's mouth Anya blacked out and her body slumped completely into Helena's embrace.

Right at that moment Emerson let loose a pained wail as his body arched in Pike's arms.

Helena picked Anya up bridal style and flashed back over to Clarke and Lexa their mouths still wide open in shock.

Helena looked over to Emerson and Pike as her eyes flashed back to its bright gold color.

"Leave. Now!" The timber of her voice in that instance left no room for debate, Pike quickly gathered Emerson up along with his arms and dashed off into the woods without a glance back.

As they disappeared into the forest Emerson could be heard calling out painfully for Anya who was still completely passed out in Helena's arms.

"Helena, what-" Lexa started to ask, but the woman cut her off.

"We need to get back to the house, I will explain there. Place your hand on my shoulder." She said.

Lexa nodded and with Clarke still securely on her back she stepped up beside Helena placing her left hand on the taller woman's shoulder.

Lexa's body immediately started to tingle all over and she became incredibly dizzy.

Heda made no objection to the strange feeling encasing the vampire's body which Lexa realized spoke volumes for the trust that her beast already held for Helena.

The dark clearing lit up in silver light as the scenery dissolved into nothing.

When the silver light dimmed Lexa noticed the blurry shape of couches that solidified into the mansion living room.

"What the hell!? Stop doing that!" Raven hollered out when they appeared right in front of her as she sat on the floor playing xbox.

"That was awesome." Clarke breathed out still clutched to Lexa's back.

When Lexa looked over her shoulder at her mate she could make out the goofy ass grin stretched across her face as she gaze over at Helena.

Raven shot up off of the floor when she realized that it wasn't just Helena that'd just teleported in.

"Hey! I want a turn. I didn't know you could teleport other people too."

"Helena… Who is that?" Octavia asked as she entered the room and her eyes fixed themselves on the woman in Helena's arms.

Lexa lowered Clarke from her back when the rest of the family filed into the room while Helena laid Anya down on the couch. She moved some of the vampire's hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear gazing down at her reverently.

"She is my Mate."

Bellamy immediately started to growl, "Your _mate_ tried to attack Clarke!"

"Quiet boy!" Helena snapped swirling around with her golden gaze fixed on him pinning him to the spot where he stood.

Bellamy immediately snapped his mouth shut at the command.

She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, when they reopened they were back to their blue/green glowing color.

"My apologies… She is my mate and I will promptly deal with that issue when she awakens."

Callie stepped forward, "What happened? Vampires do not sleep, is she injured?"

Helena took a seat by Anya's feet and looked over to Callie, "No. She is not injured, but when I touched her the mating bond took place breaking the bond that she had to her _Potential_ , she was overwhelmed and lost consciousness."

"She was mated to another?" Marcus asked, intrigued by the turn of events.

"Yes, to the vampire Emerson. He was not her _True Mate_ , I am."

"Wait a minute, who is Emerson? What the hell happened?" Raven asked in bewilderment.

Everyone else with the exception of Bellamy who'd been listening in on Lexa's thoughts had the same bewildered look on their face.

"I was meeting with Callie and Marcus when I felt and heard Clarke calling out to me. When I teleported to her, she was being held captive by Anya and Lexa was trying to fight off Anya's _Potential_ as well as their other companion Pike."

As Helena finished her sentence the room erupted in growls as the rest of the Woods family's eyes shifted to Anya.

As if sensing everyone's gaze upon her, Anya's deep red eyes shot open and she jumped off the couch to crouch down in front of Helena protectively while growled back at them.

_**Oh great…** _

At this point Lexa knew that she had to intervene before things got out of hand. She flashed over to the center of the room, placing herself between her family and the newly mated pair.

"Wait! She didn't hurt Clarke. As soon as she realized that Helena was somehow important to her, she let go of the grip she had on her." She said pleading with her family to listen and understand.

"She feeds on humans. Look at her eyes! She needs to leave, we can't trust her." Octavia growled out.

Helena stood from her seated position on the couch and placed her hand on Anya's shoulder to calm her down.

"It's okay, you're safe with me." She whispered in her ear. The vampire immediately relaxed turning around to wrap her arms around Helena's waist to bury her face in her mate's neck.

Callie stepped forward to stand beside Lexa while keeping her eyes on Helena and Anya, "Helena, if she is your mate she is more than welcome here with us. However, we will have to ask that if she remains here she will have to change her diet, we cannot risk exposure and any increase in human disappearances in this area will draw the attention of Triad enforcers, something we've managed to avoid for decades."

"Of course Callie, that is completely understandable. If you all don't mind I would like some time alone with my mate to properly introduce myself and explain the situation."

"We will all be here when you both return." Marcus said offering Helena a reassuring smile.

With that said the mated pair disappeared in a ball of silvery light.

"What. The. Hell?" Raven muttered out.

"I know right?" Octavia added as her gaze landed on Clarke and then Lexa, "Care to tell us what just happened?" she asked.

They all sat down on various pieces of furniture around the room as Lexa recounted in detail everything that happened in the clearing starting from when Anya and her coven appeared leading up to them teleporting back to the house.

"So basically, if Helena didn't show up when she did and Anya wasn't her mate this would have all pretty much turned out for the worse?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Clarke chimed in.

Lexa pulled Clarke into her lap with the blonde's back to her chest as she nuzzled her head into the back of her mate's neck and wrapped her arms around her midsection. "I almost lost you…" she whimpered out, the gravity of the situation started to finally sink in.

Clarke placed her arms on top of Lexa's and settled further into her mate's hold, "I know, but you didn't. I'm right here."

They continued to cuddle together on the couch while everyone awaited Helena and Anya's return.

Around an hour and a half later the pair reappeared.

"Woods coven, I would like to formally introduce you to my mate Anya."

Anya tipped her head to all of them then turned her attention to Clarke and Lexa.

"Clarke, I would like to apologize for my actions against you. I will not deny that it was my intention to drain you dry in that clearing-"

Bellamy and Octavia both growled at this and made to stand from the couches they were sitting on.

"Let her finish." Callie said in a commanding tone.

Anya waited until the two agitated vampires retook their seats before speaking again.

"—as I was saying… It was my intention to drain you in the clearing. Had it of not been for Helena showing up I most likely would have succeeded. When she appeared I heard a voice whispering in the back of my mind that told me to stop. I couldn't take my eyes off of her… When her scent registered to me, faintly matching Clarke's scent I knew that the human I held in my arms meant a great deal to my mate. After realizing this my Beast restrained itself. All of this still does not excuse what I did. I can only hope that one day you and your mate will accept my apology. I was only acting on instinct and I was very hungry."

Helena smiled softly at her mate taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze before glancing around the room at the gathered vampire coven.

"The voice that told Anya to stop was Athena. Somehow she knew that Anya was my mate as soon as we appeared in the clearing. She was able to reach out to her mind and prevent her from harming Clarke." Helena added.

Clarke nodded her head in understanding but did not say anything.

"Anya, do you wish to stay here with us?" Callie asked.

The guarded vampire looked over at Callie thoughtfully before replying, "I wish to stay with my mate."

"And what of your diet?" Marcus asked.

"I did not know there was another way until Helena explained to me that your coven feeds on the blood of animals. Emerson changed me as his mate and I have been with him and his brother Pike my entire vampire existence. We've never come across a coven like yours before, but I am willing to change my diet if it means remaining by my mate's side."

_**If she stays with us, won't Pike and Emerson return?** _

Picking up on Lexa's thoughts Bellamy voiced both of their concerns.

"What about your coven, will they not come for you?" he asked.

"Emerson does not take well to losing things. Especially things that he has claimed as his own. Even though I felt our mate connection break when Helena touched me he will most likely pursue me and Clarke as well."

Lexa straightened in her seat and Heda growled defensively.

"Emerson is a very good tracker, he has never failed in finding what he wants." Anya added.

"Well in that case we will all remain vigilant and Clarke will never be left unprotected. Helena, I assume you'll be able to keep Anya safe as well?" Callie asked.

"Yes. I will not allow either of them to harm any of you. Thank you for accepting my mate, this truly means a great deal to me."

_**Well I guess that's that, our family seems to get bigger every day.** _

Callie spoke up for the entire coven, "Of course Helena, I'm sure we've made the right decision. I've also prepared dinner for you and Clarke if you're hungry."

"Thank you Callie, that is very kind of you." Helena smiled gratefully over at her before turning her gaze to Clarke.

"I would like to speak with you if you don't mind. Lexa you are more than welcome to join us."

Lexa shook her head, declining the invite.

"You two go ahead I'll help Callie set dinner up." She moved Clarke off of her lap and placed a kiss on her neck before following Callie into the kitchen.

Marcus disappeared up the stairs to his office, Octavia and Lincoln went up to their bedroom while Raven and Bellamy picked up two xbox controllers to play a video game together.

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**Person POV (Clarke Centric)** _

Clarke followed Helena out the backdoor of the house after she kissed Anya on the forehead telling her to wait in the living room for her.

They walked out to the edge of the forest just out of listening range for the vampire's in the house.

Without a second though Helena picked Clarke up and placed her on a low branch before hopping up onto the branch beside her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes looking up at the night sky neither one of them in a rush to say anything.

"Clarke. How do you feel about Anya?" Helena finally asked breaking the silence.

"I don't know... I mean she's your mate nothing is going to change that, but I'm still a little shaken up over the way she made me feel in that clearing. I know that I'm stronger than I was before, but when she grabbed me… I froze up. I convinced myself that she was going to kill me and there was nothing that I could do about it."

Helena let out a long sigh before taking hold of Clarke's hand.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I know it is not an excuse but Anya is a product of her environment and was acting based off of a kind of pack mentality. Her coven wanted to attack and she simply followed suit. However, I can assure you that nothing like that will ever happen again where Anya and you are concerned. Her Beast now recognizes you as its mate's blood descendant and it cannot and will not attack you. This also applies to your mother, because she shares our bloodline."

_**What about my Dad? Will Anya try to attack him in bloodlust?** _

Picking up on Clarke's worried train of thought Helena immediately offered her reassurance.

"You need not worry about that, Anya is over 500 years old. She can control her thirst. Now that she will be changing her diet she will be less likely to attack a human, even in a weakened state." She explained.

"But if she has such great control over her hunger why did she say she was hungry at the time that she attacked me and had every intention of draining me?" Clarke asked.

"You have to always remember that our blood is a lot more potent to vampires in comparison to that of the average human because of the gene I passed on to my descendants and the Goddess that lives inside me. Even though your mother's Demigod gene is not active she still smells a lot better than most humans, not as good as you, but better nonetheless."

"That makes sense I guess…" Clarke was silent for a while after that, "I am happy for you though, happy that you've found your mate that is."

Helena gazed at Clarke and offered her a genuine grateful smile exposing her perfect white teeth.

"As am I Clarke, thank you. I've been alive for over 3000 years and I always thought that I was never meant to have a mate because of my purpose. I guess good things really do come to those who wait." Her eyes flashed gold briefly and Clarke felt Athena reach out to her.

"How does Athena feel about Anya? Is she Athena's mate as well?"

"No, she is not Athena's mate. I share my body with her but she is still a God and they do not have mates. For the most part I am still human I've just been made to be immortal. When Anya was born into this world she was born to be mine, my mate, and my companion. That bond was solidified and made permanent when she was turned into a vampire. Athena approves of the mate that was chosen for me, she feels that we are very compatible."

Clarke smiled and nodded her head happy that it worked out for Helena.

"In that case I'll make the effort to accept Anya in the same way that I've accepted you and Athena."

Helena gave Clarke's hand that was still held in hers a tentative squeeze before releasing it and wrapping her arms around the blonde to pull her into her side and kiss the top of her head.

"That is all I can ask of you Clarke, thank you."

Clarke wrapped her arms around Helena's midsection and snuggled into her warm body. She briefly thought that it felt good being held by the older woman. In that moment she felt just as safe in Helena's arms as she did in Lexa's. Helena's scent also relaxed her in the same way that her Lexa's does.

They sat like that for a few more minutes before Clarke's stomach started to growl violently causing Helena to chuckle lowly.

"We should go get you fed. You're going to be eating a lot more than you're used to from now on. Especially since I'll be in such close proximity to you. Your Demigod gene will be developing rapidly causing your appetite to increase at an exponential rate."

_**Great, now I can be a fat Demigod… It just keeps getting better…** _

Helena chuckled once again, "No Clarke, you will not gain weight with your increased calorie intake. You will actually soon notice an increase in muscle tone over the next few weeks. Your body will start to change as you gain strength to compensate for the increase in power and physical capabilities."

Clarke sighed in relief.

"Thank the Gods…"

Helena grinned slyly as her eyes shifted to gold, "You're welcome."

Clarke snorted when she realized that that is exactly who she should be thanking.

Helena gathered her up into her arms once again and hopped out of the tree before flashing across the yard and into the backdoor.

As they entered the kitchen her senses were invaded by the wonderful aroma coming from the two plates piled with huge amounts of food on the island in front of two stools.

Helena placed her down on her feet as Lexa walked over to wrap her arms around her before guiding the blonde to her seat.

"Callie this smells amazing, I'm starving." Clarke breathed out desperately as she picked up her fork getting ready to go to town on the food.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Anya enter the kitchen followed by Octavia.

Surprisingly they both had a smile on their face. Clarke expected them to have attempted to rip each other's throats out while they were gone because of how protective Octavia had grown where Clarke was concerned but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Anya just completely wiped the floor with Raven in Call of Duty. You should have seen her face. Anya's never even played a videogame before." Octavia said in amusement.

"She cheated! I know it!" Raven hollered out from the living room.

Clarke laughed while she watched Anya take her place at Helena's side.

The older woman turned to her mate and wrapped her arms around her midsection pulling their bodies flush together. They shared a meaningful look before Anya leaned in initiating a long intense kiss.

Clarke immediately looked away as the kiss heated up and deepened electing to focus on her food instead as Lexa stood behind her rubbing her shoulders.

No one else seemed to be paying much attention to the pair making out almost aggressively in the room so Clarke said nothing.

"I hope you both enjoy your meal. Clarke, I already called Abby and let her know that you would be having dinner here but she's expecting you home afterward. Marcus and I are heading out for a quick... hunt… So I'll see you all later." Callie said the last bit cryptically.

Helena and Clarke both thank her for dinner before she flashed out of the room.

"Why did Callie sound so sketchy about her and Marcus going out to hunt?" She asked Lexa.

Her mate smirked and didn't respond.

"What? What's funny?" Clarke asked turning to look at her.

"That's not all they are planning to do Clarke." Helena answered as she took a seat beside her to start eating.

_**What's that supposed to me—** _

"Oh wow! No, just no. Forget that I asked. I so didn't need to know that." Clarke's face instantly heated up as she realized what Lexa and Helena were both smirking about.

"Everyone does it Clarke, no need to be embarrassed. _Trust me_ we all know _you_ do it too." Octavia said winking at the cringing blonde before making her way out to the garage.

"Nothing's private around here…" Clarke muttered returning to her food.

Lexa and Helena both snorted at her comment while Anya stood off to the side leaning against the kitchen counter gazing at her mate intensely as she ate.

After dinner Clarke forced Lexa to let her help with the dishes, which took way longer than it would have if Lexa had done them herself, but Clarke insisted on helping.

It was around 7:30pm when they finally left the mansion to return to Clarke's house.

Helena had taken Anya out for her first animal hunt shortly after eating and everyone else were off doing their own thing with their respective mates.

When they arrived at the house Clarke could see that both of her parents' cars were in the driveway next to hers.

"Will you be spending the night with me?" She asked as Lexa pulled up in front of the house and shut off the engine.

"Of course Hodnes, I don't want to let you out of my sight. You go in and see your parents. I'll park down the street and meet you in your bedroom when you're ready." She replied.

"Okay, good…" Clarke then leaned over the center console and cupped the back of Lexa's neck in her hand pulling her in for a kiss.

When their lips met she immediately deepened the kiss by pushing her tongue into the vampire's mouth.

Lexa groaned and placed her hand on Clarke's hip. Her thumb started to rub at the exposed skin between the bottom of her t-shirt and the top of her jeans.

But as the blonde removed her seat belt intent on climbing over the console to straddle her mate's lap and continue their makeout session Lexa stopped her.

"Jake is watching us through the living room window." She said with a smirk on her face.

"Shit!" Clarke screeched out and literally threw herself back into her seat.

Lexa chuckled lowly at her mate's reaction.

After she'd calmed herself down Clarke got out of the car and made her way up the driveway into the house.

She closed the front door behind me her as Abby started coming down the stairs while putting in an earring.

"Oh you're home sweetie, did you have a good day over at the Woods'?" she asked.

It made Clarke happy that her mother was making the effort to be cool about her relationship with Lexa.

"Yeah, I had a good day mom, where are you off to?" Clarke asked; taking note of her mother's outfit, hair and makeup.

"Your father and I are heading out to catch a movie. We won't be back until later; will you be alright here by yourself?"

_**The house to myself with Lexa waiting in my bedroom? Hell yes!** _

Clarke bottled up her excitement so as not to alert her mother to her perverted thoughts, "Yeah mom I'll be fine. It's a school night so I'm probably just going to turn in early anyway."

She even threw in a fake yawn to drive the statement home.

"Okay honey, make sure you lock up before you turn in." Abby then walked over to the small table by the bottom of the stairs to pick up her purse.

"Jake, are you ready?" she called out into the kitchen.

He came around the corner, out of the kitchen and into the living room, while putting on a jacket.

"Hey kid, I figured Lexa was going to come in when she dropped you off."

Clarke gave him a knowing look but didn't comment on his peeping.

"No Dad, she had to get back home, but she'll be by tomorrow after school."

"Okay sounds good. Your mom and I are heading out now; we'll see you in the morning before you head off to school."

He kissed her on the forehead before they both headed out the front door.

As soon as Clarke heard the car start and pull out of the driveway she locked the front door, shut off all the lights and darted up to her bedroom.

When she opened the door Lexa was stretched out on her bed with her hands folded behind her head looking directly at her.

"Hey, what took you so long?" she asked with a sly smirk on her face.

"The parental units took forever to leave." Clarke replied as her eyes raked over her mate's stretched out body.

"Soooo… now that they're gone what should we do?" Lexa asked her eyes also traveling up and down Clarke's body,

The action caused the blonde to shiver in anticipation.

"Well, I'm going to take a quick shower. Don't move, when I get back we can address that question." Clarke hustled around her room grabbing a pair of red boyshorts and she bypassed a bra as she picked out a black wife beater.

Lexa watched her hungrily while she gathered the clothes.

"Be right back," Clarke announced before exiting the room making her way across the hall to her bathroom.

Clarke spent 15 minutes in the shower washing her body and brushing her teeth. After turning the water off and stepping out she dried off and thoroughly moisturized her skin. She then got dressed throwing all of her dirty clothes into the hamper before exiting the bathroom.

When she re-entered her bedroom, Lexa was exactly where she'd left her and she had her eyes closed.

Clarke closed the door behind her and turned off the lights in the room. The moonlight shining in through her window offered just enough light for her to make out where Lexa was lying.

She walked over to the bed and crawled up over the vampire's body. Her eyes were still closed as Clarke took the opportunity to take in her beautiful face.

Everything about Lexa was perfect, from her perfectly shaped eyebrows down to her extremely kissable pouty lips.

Just as Clarke was contemplating devouring her the vampire opened her green eyes and smiled up at her.

" _Heya ai hodnes_. Ready for bed?" she asked as she brought her hands from behind her head and placed both of them on Clarke's thighs. The cool temperature of her skin helping to cool the steady heat spreading through Clarke's system.

"No." Clarke replied assertively.

Lexa smirked up at her mate.

"No? What are you ready for now that you're all clean and smelling oh so good?" she asked as she slowly ran her hands up the blonde's thighs, her thumbs coming into contact with the edges of her underwear before pulling back.

Clarke moaned at the contact and the way Lexa's eyes started to darken right before her, "Lexa you know what I want. What I _need_ …"

Lexa continued to caress Clarke's thighs as they gazed into each other's eyes, "No _hodnes_ , I'm not sure that I do. Why don't you tell me what you want… what you _need._ "

Clarke let out a shuddered breath as Lexa's thumbs slipped beneath the edge of her boyshorts so close to where she needed her.

"I need you to touch me baby, please…" She breathed out barely above a whisper.

"Is that so? Where do you want me to touch you Clarke?"

Clarke brought her left hand down to Lexa's right and guided it toward her heated center outside her panties.

"Oh god, I want… I want you to touch me here."

Lexa sat up with Clarke still straddling her lap and their mouths crashed together.

The vampire was careful not to hurt her mate, but she was being very aggressive with her movements all the same.

She cupped Clarke's pussy firmly in her hand sucking the blondes tongue into her mouth.

Clarke groaned loudly and started to grind into her lap as she wrapped both of her hands around Lexa's neck rubbing her thumbs up and down her throat.

"Who does this belong to?" Lexa asked in a husky tone as she gave Clarke's pussy a firm squeeze.

"Oh _fuck_ … You, it belongs to you." She ground herself into Lexa's hand for emphasis.

In less than 3 seconds Lexa had successfully stripped them both of all their clothes. They sat in the center of the bed facing each other with Clarke's right leg over Lexa left and her left leg under Lexa's right.

As they sat in that upright scissor position Lexa reached around Clarke's body placing both of her hands on each of her ass cheeks to pull the blonde into her body until they were chest to chest and pussy to pussy.

_**Oh fuck that feels so good…** _

They continued with their deep kissing as Lexa curled her legs up around her mate using her hands that were on Clarke's ass to guide her hips in a slow hard grind.

Lexa broke their kiss and moved her mouth to Clarke's ear as the blonde whimpered helplessly, completely overwhelmed with the feeling of their wet heat rubbing together.

"Your hot pussy feels so good, you're leaking all over me," Lexa paused to release a satisfied growl, "Gods you feel so fucking good…" The dirty words being whispered into Clarke's ear caused her hips to jerk uncontrollably which in turn brought her clit into direct and hard contact with Lexa's.

" _Leksa_ … Jesus, fuck… If you keep talking like that you're gonna make me cum." She shuddered out moving one of her hands from Lexa's shoulder onto her breast and pinching her nipple as hard as she could manage.

Lexa let out a strangled moan and increased the speed she was using to guide Clarke's hips.

"Fuck, baby I'm gonna cum, I want you to cum with me. _Shit_ …"

Clarke began to shake uncontrollably the knot that had been forming in her lower belly exploded as her orgasm hit hot liquid spilling all over Lexa's pussy and thighs.

Clarke continued to grind her pussy against Lexa's, the cum spilling from her opening added to the experience and her hypersensitive clit went into overdrive.

Lexa threw her head back in ecstasy.

"So good… you feel so fucking good against me, I'm cumming… F-fuck!"

"Jesus Lexa…" Clarke started to come again shuddering and clinging onto Lexa's shoulders.

They continued to rock against each other as they both rode out the last of their shared release.

Clarke buried her face in the area where Lexa's neck met her shoulder and started to suck on the skin she found there as she moved her hands down Lexa's chest to cup both of her breasts while her thumbs teased the vampire's hardened nipples.

"Clarke…" Lexa groaned out as she tipped her head back giving the blonde more access to her neck as she arched her back into her forcing Clarke to add more pressure.

Clarke scraped her teeth along Lexa's neck and let her right hand travel down her mate's toned stomach to her pussy.

"I want you inside me Lexa…" She whispered this into Lexa's ear as her fingers parted the brunette's incredibly wet pussy lips and played with her entrance.

"Ughnnn… I want to be inside you too baby." Lexa moved her right hand from Clarke's ass cheek moving it down between their bodies to play with her sensitive pussy.

As Lexa entered her with two fingers Clarke mirrored her motion and plunged two of her own fingers deep inside of her.

"Yesss… Lexa, fuck me."

The vampire wasted no time in accommodating her mate's request.

Her fingers started to move deep inside of her as Clarke rocked her hips to meet every stroke.

Lexa's inner walls clung to Clarke's fingers as she moved them in and out of her at a rapid pace as Lexa's breaths started to come out in short gasps.

"You like having my warm fingers inside you baby?" She asked as she bit down into Lexa's shoulder.

"Y-yes… keep going. Don't stop." Lexa brought her left hand up to Clarke's right breast and rolled her nipple between her thumb and index finger adding more pressure with every stroke of her fingers inside her mate's drenched pussy.

Clarke moved her mouth to Lexa's ear.

"I want you to bite me when you cum. I need to feel your teeth in my skin…" She was panting loudly and she could feel her own release building once again.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to last much longer Clarke slammed her fingers deep into the vampire's pussy curling them up so she could hit that perfect spot.

Lexa growled when Clarke found her g-spot and her fingers immediately curled up inside the blonde as well raking across the spongy sensitive area she knew would push Clarke over the edge.

"Oh fuck Clarke, don't stop. I'm cumming…"

Clarke let out her own growl at her mate's words.

"Bite me. Oh god please, make me cum…" Clarke moved her left hand from Lexa's nipple and cupped the back of her neck just as her fangs dropped.

Her pussy began to spasm around Lexa's fingers as her sharp teeth came into view. She pulled the vampire toward her neck and as her teeth sunk into soft willing flesh, Clarke came.

"Gods yessss!"

She was shuddering violently as she released on Lexa's fingers still pumping her own curled fingers in and out of the vampire's tight pussy.

Clarke could hear Lexa growling as she fed and her hips froze as she felt warm liquid explode around her fingers and pool in the palm of her hand.

Lexa gave one final satisfied growl as she retracted her fangs from Clarke's neck and her fingers from her pussy. She threw her head back with a satisfied moan as she licked the remaining blood from her lips before looking back at the panting blonde seated in her lap.

As Lexa's eyes landed on her the blonde pulled her fingers out of her still quivering pussy. Lexa shuddered as Clarke brought the fingers that were covered in her juices up to her lips to suck them into her mouth moaning seductively at the taste.

Lexa copied Clarke's motion and sucked her own fingers into her mouth cleaning her mate's juices off of them.

"Fuck, you're so sexy baby…" Clarke groaned out as she watched her.

She pulled her fingers out of her mouth with a pop and pulled Clarke's face towards her kissing her firmly on the lips.

Surprisingly Clarke didn't care that she could taste the remnants of her blood in Lexa's mouth when she forced her tongue deep inside the cool cavern, instead she moaned and forced her tongue deeper into Lexa's mouth.

As much as Clarke wanted to keep going she couldn't. The blood loss was starting to make her light headed so she pulled away from the kiss after a few minutes and sagged into Lexa's body.

"I've got you hodnes." Lexa said as she leaned over to Clarke's night stand to retrieve the glass of water that she'd retrieved from the kitchen while her mate was in the shower.

Upon further inspection Clarke also noticed that there was a blood replenishment tablet sitting next to the glass.

"How did you know?" Clarke asked groggily.

Lexa dropped the tablet in the glass, waited for it to dissolve before dipping a finger inside to swipe some of the purple liquid onto the bite wound on Clarke's neck. She then handed over the glass for her mate to drink before responding to the question.

"I had a feeling."

Clarke downed the liquid in the glass before handing it back to Lexa.

"Ai hod yu in Leksa." Clarke breathed out.

"Ai hod yu in seintaim Klark."

Lexa placed the empty glass back on the nightstand then guided Clarke down on the bed curling her body around her mate. She placed loving kisses along Clarke's shoulder and pulled her back into her front securely before pulling the covers over both of their naked bodies.

"Sleep well hodnes…"

Clarke drifted off to sleep with a huge satisfied smile on her face.

_**3** _ _**rd** _ _**person POV (Finn Centric)** _

Finn and Miller have been running around the woods in their wolf forms for the last two days. They were no longer welcomed on the boardwalk or in The Wolf Den after their failed attack on Wells. So they didn't have anywhere else to go.

_**That fucking asshole will get what's coming to him.** _

_**Miller: Finn, what are we gonna do now?** _

_**I don't know idiot, we have to figure out a way to get Wells off the boardwalk and alone so I can finish what I started.** _

_**Miller: I'm pretty sure that's gonna be impossible now dude.** _

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Finn knew that Miller was right. Now that Wells knew what they were up to it was going to be impossible to get him or any of the other pack members alone and away from the Den.

When they tried to cross the boundary into their old territory Echo, Wick, Jasper, Monty and Wells all showed up within seconds.

They out number them and with their exile now in effect that meant that new wolves would be joining the pack and they definitely wouldn't be able to take them all with it just being the two of them.

_**Shift back now!** _

Miller immediately shifted into his human form and pulled on his shorts with Finn following close behind.

"We'll set up a camp here for the night while I figure out our next move." He said distractedly.

Miller ran off into the woods to gather up firewood and hunt something that they could eat.

Just as Finn sat down on a fallen tree to try to come up with a plan he scented two vampires running towards him.

He shot up to his feet crouching down ready to shift and attack if they got within range.

As he waited the two vampires ran out of the foliage and stopped right in front of him.

The shifter let loose a threatening growl baring his teeth at them as they both dropped into an attack stance with their fangs dropping as they growled in response.

"What the fuck are you doing here parasites?" Finn growled out.

The African American one with the bald head stood up out of his couched stance and looked at the boy puzzled.

"Pike he smells like shit, I'm not even hungry anymore." The blonde one said as he covered up his nose with his arm.

Finn took notice of the vampire's ragged appearances and the fresh jagged scars running around his arms where the limbs connected to his shoulders.

"Fuck you leech, you don't smell any better!" Finn roared out in offense.

"Emerson calm yourself." The bald one said before focusing back on the boy, "What are you?" he asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know bloodsucker. I'm the thing that's about 2 seconds away from ripping you apart."

Just then Miller came charging out of the woods in his wolf form the distraction offering Finn enough time to shift back into his.

They both growled at the two vampires and started to circle them.

_**Miller, you take the bald one, I'll handle the other.** _

Just as they were about to attack the clearing they were all standing in plunged into darkness making it impossible for any of them to see or hear anything even with their enhanced senses.

When it cleared a tall man in a black three piece suit stood in the center of the clearing.

_**Miller: Who the fuck is this? He doesn't smell like a leech, he smells like burning flesh and ash…** _

"Gentlemen, why fight among yourselves when you have a common enemy?" the stranger asked.

His voice was smooth, commanding and laced with malicious intent.

For some reason something was telling Finn not to attack him if he valued his life.

_**Hold your ground, do not attack him Miller.** _

"Wise choice Finn Collins." He regarded Finn with an almost bored interest before shifting his gaze briefly over to Miller.

"Shift back. Both of you. Now!" he commanded, and Finn's body obeyed without his say so. As he glanced over he noticed that Miller had also shifted back to his human form at the stranger's command.

"Who are you?" Finn growled out.

The stranger smirked at him before answering, "Hades. I've come to give you what you want most."

Finn and Miller exchanged glances as Emerson and Pike did the same.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Finn asked, not believing he could have anything that he wanted.

Hades folded her hands behind his back and regarded all of them.

"Revenge." He said simply.

"I can make you stronger, so that you can retake what is yours," He focused on Finn first, "Your pack… Clarke…" He turned and looked at Emerson next, "Even your mate Anya."

"How do you know about all of that?" Finn and Emerson said at the same time.

The smirk on Hades' face and his smug attitude were starting to irritate Finn.

He started to walk around the clearing moving both of his hands to the pockets of his pants looking all of them over.

"I have my ways… The vampire coven took Clarke from you and I can give you the power to take her back, and the power to defeat your ex-Alpha once and for all."

_**What the fuck? Who does this guy think he is?** _

"And you Emerson, I can give you the power to take your mate back. If you all join me it is within my power to make all of these things happen."

"What do we have to do?" Emerson asked raising out of his crouched stance beside Pike.

Hades smirked at the gesture.

"Join me and you'll find out."

Emerson seemed to debate his options for a few long seconds before answering.

"Pike, are you with me?" He asked as he kept his eyes focused on Hades and the shifters.

"Yeah, I'm with you." Pike responded immediately, not even taking a second to consider the question.

They both then took their place beside Hades' as the God shifted his gaze to Finn.

"What do you say boy? You ready to take what's yours?"

Finn looked back at Miller and nodded his head. Miller stepped up beside him as they made their way over to Hades and the two vampires.

"Let's do this, you better hold up your end of all this." Finn stated firmly.

Hades laughed, "Or what?"

The clearing once again fell into darkness and Finn could feel his body falling into what felt like a never ending pit.

_**What the hell is happening…** _

* * *

**AN:**

**And there you have it, Chapter 20 plus smut (which I noticed was lacking in recent chapters, hope you enjoyed it lol).**

**I'm only a little bit sorry about initially mating Anya with Emerson but in my defense I didn't have you guys suffer through it for more than a few minute's, so you all should thank me for that!**

**Hope you enjoyed the read, the next chapter will be uploaded next Friday (time permitting….). **(Lupa interrupting me on our shared Google doc for the editing)****

* * *

**lol are you going to be correcting as i type words?**

**Aren't you almost done?**

**Dont rush me woman!**

**I'll do what I want...**

**PUNK!**

**We should leave this in.**

**iT WILL MAKE SENSE TO NO ONE BUT US… CAPLOCK UGH**

**THAT'S THE POINT RIGHT?!**

**lol this looks ridiculous**

**We are ridiculous though!**

**Shhh. I'm trying to talk to these people go take a break somewhere!**

**I can't get on tumblr we haven't watched the episode yet!**

**THATS RIGHT! let me hurry up then, I** _**need** _ **to see this sex scene!**

**I don't think it'll be in 3.05…**

**WHAT?!**

**We're gonna have to wait. Anyway, finish your damn AN so we can watch it!**

**oKAY… :( Let me just pick my heart up off the floor and dust it off…**

**Can't be worse then my theory I gave you yesterday.**

* * *

**AN (Cont.):**

**So, yeah...Hope you guys enjoyed the update. We will be picking up with the shifter pack in next week's update because we have been neglecting Raven and Bellamy's relationships.**

**Enjoy your weekend peeps!**

* * *

**Also, I'm not editing your half of that conversation.**

**Mean.**

**Want me to real quick?**

**Nah, no fucks given, they know what i mean.**

**Here's hoping.**

**Rude AF…**

**You love me anyway :)**

**Maybe a little…**

**:'(**


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